Technical Difficulties
by Little-Red-2404
Summary: After Wells, Cisco, and Caitlin convince Leah to come back to STAR Labs where she lost her other half, everything changes. Now she faces metahumans with her friend, Barry, struggles with her feelings for her best friend, Cisco, and can't shake the familiarity she gets around the stranger everyone calls "The Burning Man." I DONT OWN THE FLASH and story doesnt follow events in show.
1. Changes

Leah  
I'm not good with change. It scares me, it paralyzes me, and it makes me feel small and hopeless. With all the change that had gone on those past few weeks, I receded into my shell and became nothing. I hadn't left my small studio apartment in Central City for days. I had people to turn to but I was too afraid to talk- talking would only make it real. I had woke up every morning hoping that it wasn't. I didn't want any of it to be real. I didn't want to continuously feel this empty. That's what happens when you lose your other half, literally.  
As awful as it was, I shut everyone out. I didn't answer anyone's calls. I read everyone's text but I didn't reply. I got one long text from my boyfriend, Drew and it read:

Drew: Babe, I'm sorry about everything that happened but you need to, talk to me. I've knocked on your door a couple of times, I know you're alive, I've seen you scrolling through Facebook a few times. Don't shut me out, Leah. You don't want to push the people you love away.

I still didn't reply though. Something made me think that he was going to make this about him and I wasn't in the mood. I needed my space and he was just going to have to respect that, be my boyfriend of 6 months or not, I needed time.  
Two more weeks went by and the text and calls added up; 4 calls from Wells, Harrison Wells, my idol and my boss. 16 calls and 3 text from Caitlin, though I was almost positive she was the last person I wanted to see right now. Just seeing her would bring everything back and I wasn't sure I could do it just yet. Though I did miss her like crazy. Her text read:

Caitlin: hey, can we talk?  
Caitlin: you're making everyone worried. No one has seen you in days. Do you need anything? Food? I can grab takeout and we can talk... Ronnie wouldn't want you to starve yourself, Leah.  
Caitlin: at least I know you've read these so I know you're alive. And it's okay that you're not ready to talk, I get it... I miss Ronnie, too. And I wish he was here, he would know what to do to help comfort you. And me. When you're ready to talk, let me know. I'll be there in a flash. See you soon, I hope.

She wasn't too far off with the food thing but I was living off small things like ramen noodles and cheez-its. Only once did I sneak out to buy some groceries from the store right across the street. It was awful. There were a lot of happy people around that frowned when I walked by. I must've looked as awful as I felt.

I was positive that I had Cisco worried the most; 23 calls and 64 text. Most of them went like this:

Cisco: can we talk?  
Cisco: hey, let's have another movie night!  
Cisco: I haven't touched any of the Star Wars DVDs in days. It's not the same without you.  
Cisco: hey, you promised to watch the Walking Dead series with me, is that still a go?  
Cisco: I'm sorry, Lele.  
Cisco: I miss Ronnie.  
Cisco: I miss you.

It broke my heart to see my best friend trying so hard. He wanted to help me, to heal me. But how do you come back from your own twin brother dying? I missed Ronnie, I wasn't whole without him. He was literally my other half. "Half of the egg that made you," he would tease. Now the egg is broken and only half of it remains.  
In the beginning, it was hard to even look in the mirror. Those light eyes and dark hair weren't just mine, they were his two and it haunted me, even in my sleep. The nightmares were constant, I would be so close to getting to the door of the particle accelerator but it always closed with Ronnie on the wrong side. The worst nightmare was when dream Cisco had turned to me and apologized for closing the door and I slapped him... I wanted to slap him so bad that night. But I knew, deep down, that he didn't have a choice. If he hadn't closed the door that night, we all could've been killed. Like Ronnie. My twin brother died a hero that night. A hero to me and a hero to Caitlin.  
About two more weeks after that, I got a knock on the door. Except the voice was new. He has never made a trip to my place before.  
"Leah, its Wells. Open up."  
I decided that when your boss tells you to open the door, you open the door. I took a deep breath, ready for him to yell at me and fire me before I grabbed the doorknob and turned it. He sat in his wheelchair with an exhausted look on his face and I couldn't blame him. He had been getting loads of crap from his most recent failed experiment. Ronnie wasn't the only one that got hurt when the particle accelerator failed its purpose that day. But when he saw me standing there, there was a brief look of surprise and then he smiled.  
"I didn't think you would open the door," he admitted.  
"Yeah, me either," I sighed.  
He took his glasses off to wipe the lenses on the hem of his shirt. "Even outside of the lab, you're my most obedient worker. That's why you're my favorite." I wasn't even able to crack a smile. We both knew it wasn't true, he didn't have favorites, and he was too professional with that. With almost a pity look in my direction, he asked, "may I come in?"  
I hesitated. The house wasn't exactly appropriate for a boss or even a friend to come over but considering the conditions, I could only hope that he would be understanding. After a short pause, I stepped aside and held the door wider for him to wheel through.  
He made his way in, taking in the scene around him. My house was... More or less a gigantic mess. There were blankets and pillows on the couch and all around it for the nights that I felt crawling into bed was too much work. Delivery food was all along the kitchen counters and the coffee table. My fish tank looked like it hadn't been cleaned for centuries, it was a wonder how my fish, Squirt and Paddle were still alive.  
I didn't look any better; my hair was thrown in a messy bun due to the lack of times that I bothered brushing it. My face was pale from lack of sun and my eyes were red and puffy. I had just finished crying ten minutes prior to when he knocked on the door. I also wore the worst possible outfit I could wear in front of my boss (in my opinion); a Harry Potter T-shirt and Doctor Who sweat pants with fuzzy R2D2 slippers... Which never made sense to me considering R2D2 is a robot and nowhere near fluffy. It was actually a topic discussed between Cisco and I once.  
But I made my way over to the couch and sat down as he sat across the coffee table in front of me. I could tell he was observing me and it almost angered me. Was he expecting me to break down and cry in front of him? That was the whole reason why I was staying put in my apartment, we were all grieving and I didn't want to have to share my pain with everyone else when they're suffering too. So, I kept my eyes down, taking fake interest in my hands and nothing that the blue nail polish that I had on was long since peeled off.  
I should probably fix that.  
He finally spoke up, "I'd like you to come back to STAR labs."  
Short and sweet like usual, that was Wells. He was never one to beat around the bush, especially if it was to make clear of what he wanted. I had a terrible feeling that I would have to let him down though.  
"I'm sorry..." I said, my voice coming out a lot more groggy and weak than I had expected. Guess that's what happens when you don't talk for a while and all you do is cry. I cleared my throat and tried again, "I'm sorry, Mr. Wells, but... I don't know if I can do that."  
"What can I do to change your mind?" I honestly hadn't expected him to ask that. It was such a broad question. What could he do?  
"I don't know. What can you do?" I was starting to feel angry again. Why would he come into my house and try to fix things that can't be fixed? To toy with my emotions? "You can't help me love that building again. I hate it. I hate the idea of stepping into it. I can't even think of me walking near that machine again. I haven't spoken to Cisco or Caitlin in 4 weeks, who knows how working with them will turn out? I've basically disappeared, Wells. I've dropped off the face of the planet, what am I supposed to do? What do you want with me?" It wasn't until I had realized how much I had raised my voice that I became embarrassed of how much I had snapped. I quickly shut my mouth and looked back down at my hands again to avoid the concerned eyes of the guy that first inspired me to be a scientist in the first place.  
"I'm sorry about Ronnie, Leah." At the sound of his name, my heart slammed against my chest and I flinched. My eyes began to water again but I dug my nails into the palms of my hands. Not now, not right now. "I wish I could take it back... If I had known it would get him killed, I never would've turned it on."  
There was a part of me that didn't believe a damn word of it. He didn't care that Ronnie was dead, he was more upset that his life's work was flushed down the toilet that night. But I closed my eyes and told myself that it wasn't true. I was just angry, frustrated. It wasn't Wells fault. He didn't want any of this.  
"It was your dream, though..." I said in a small voice, not bothering to look up from my hands. "I'm sorry it didn't work out for you."  
I wasn't the only one who had lost something that night and I had to remind myself of that. A lot of people were affected. I was affected by losing my brother, I just had to learn how to cope with it and move on.  
He shook his head, "all things happen for a reason."  
I sighed, "This is one shitty reason."  
"I still want you to come back, Leah. We need you. You're part of the family."  
I guess that's why I had agreed to go back... Because he was right. My twin died that night, my parents were already long gone, and without the family I had built in STAR labs, I would be completely alone. I didn't want to be alone.  
And just before he had left that night, he apologized for being in a rush and said he had to go visit someone at the hospital.  
"Oh. Really, who?"  
He turned to me and for a second, I thought I saw a spark in his eyes. Little did I know the name was going to forever change the way I see things in Central City.  
"Barry Allen."


	2. Acceptance

Cisco

 _**Several Hours before Wells went to visit Leah***_

I sat in a chair next to Harrison Wells- YES, thee Harrison Wells- my idol and my boss for almost two years now. The man was a complete genius and saying "I admire him" would be a complete understatement. And the fact that the man takes time out of his day to watch a fantastic classic movie with me- the one and only To Kill a Mockingbird- just makes him even more awesome. We sat in the one and only STAR Labs itself to watch a movie. Some people would kill to be me. Others would kill the man next to me. I guess he isn't really as popular as he used to be before the accident but he was still pretty cool to me. He made a mistake, we all do. However, this wasn't the first time we had done this but this time, he was acting strange. The fact that he took his glasses off to wipe them on the edge of his shirt for a few minutes and wasn't even paying attention to the movie was my proof.

I sighed and reluctantly stopped the movie. "Okay, what are you thinking?"

"I think I'm going to have to cancel movie night tonight," he told me, placing the glasses back on his face.

"But we're already here and the movie is already on…"

He looked at me with a frown and for a second, he looked a lot older than usual. The wrinkles on his forehead had grown with the stress brought on from our biggest failure. I'm sure the fingers that everyone has been pointing at him hadn't helped much either.

"I have people to visit before tonight ends."

I couldn't help be curious as I asked, "Who?"

"I'm stopping by Leah's place first." He said.

Something in my chest stirred at the sound of her name. It was like missing your best friend but even more so. Things were so much more quiet and awkward without Leah around. Besides, Wells and Caitlin didn't really understand my jokes like Leah could. I wanted her to come back just as badly.

I could hear the strain in Wells voice when he said her name. He blamed himself for the death of her twin brother, Ronnie. I wasn't going to accept that, though. Ronnie was a great friend of mine, almost like my brother, but I know his death was an accident. Wells wouldn't have gotten anyone hurt or killed on purpose. Things just didn't go as planned. However, Leah wasn't taking it as well. I had called her many times and all my text messages were read but unanswered. I was just hoping that she was okay. The last thing I wanted was for her to suffer alone, she was not alone. I wouldn't allow that. _As a friend, of course! Because that's what friends do!_ My chest felt fuzzy again at the thought of her walking through the door right then. Oh yeah, I missed her. No doubt about that.

"Is that even a good idea? I don't think she wants to see any of us…" I said, my voice sounded a lot quieter than I expected. Okay, so the topic was touchy for all of us.

"If we leave her alone for too long, she's going to implode. She's already feeling like a bunch of little pieces, if the rest of her implodes, there might not be any Leah left."

" _No Leah left"…_ The blood in my veins ran cold at the thought of it. I had a chill run down my spine and not a good chill- no, a chill like when Darth Vader says he's your father and your whole world falls to shit. It's not a good chill.

Wells was quick to roll out the room and leave me alone with my thoughts. All I could think about was Leah- not that it was rare- but she was even more on my mind now than ever. I was so worried about her but I just couldn't get myself to stop at her place and check on her. What would I say?

" _Sorry about Ronnie!"_ No, too soon.

" _How can I help?"_ Unless she doesn't want my help.

What would I say? What would I do? Apologize for shutting the door on Ronnie? Let her slap me? God, sometimes I wish she would randomly stop by my place and hit me until I bruised. I deserved it. I blamed myself for Ronnie's death- I'm the one who shut the door and kept it closed while the particle accelerator took his life. There wasn't anything more I wanted than for him to return, though. I just wanted Leah and Caitlin happy again and I wanted us all to go back to normal. It didn't look like it was going to happen anytime soon, though. I couldn't even stop by Leah's place to discuss the weather or a movie or—

Thinking about it, I peered at the young Jean Finch on the projector when a thought crossed my mind. _Nothing makes me happier than movies, even more so, movie nights with friends._ So, with a crazy idea and high hopes, I took the video out of the projector and stuffed it in my bag before heading out the door.

Sitting in the car in the parking lot of her apartment, I counted how many times the windshield wipers moved back and forth. I reached fifty-five before taking a deep breath and telling myself I couldn't stall any longer. I had to go up to the door and say something- ANYTHING.

I looked at myself in the rearview mirror as I rehearsed what I was going to say for the hundredth time already, "Hi, Leah! How are you? I brought candy and movies, and I figured we can hang out, what do you say?"

Okay, so it sounded really rehearsed (BECAUSE IT WAS) but it would have to do. I turned the car off and stepped out into the soft drizzle of rain with my bag full of candy and movies in hand. I walked in quickly before I could change my mind and pressed the button to the fifth floor in the small elevator. In the hall, I counted the doors until I reached the twelfth one on the left before I paused. Whispering quietly to myself, I tried one more time, "Hi, Leah," and then I tapped my knuckles against the maroon door and held my breath while I waited.

It took a while so I was almost positive that she wasn't going to answer, and I was almost ready to turn around and leave. _Maybe try another day?_ But before I could convince myself to leave, I heard a noise on the other side of the door before it was slowly opened. The familiar blue eyes peered to see who her guest was before she opened the door fully. The first thing I noticed was her outfit; it was all fandom related things to my surprise. I hadn't known she was as big of a nerd as I was and it almost made me smile, that is until I peered up at her.

At work, she is completely radiant and professional, and if you didn't know her well, so you'd probably think she is uptight by the way she dresses for work. _She totally isn't though, not with those Star Wars slippers._ However, in her casual pajama-like clothes, her dark hair pulled up in a messy bun and the makeup slowly fading from her face, she had never before looked so… real. For some odd reason, my heart quickened by a lot and I struggled to take a deep breath and calm myself. She was confused by my appearance; I had to say something now. _Go for it!_

"Hiya- hi- are you how—I mean, you are—I mean, how are you? Hi, how are you, Leah? Leah… yeah…" _Well, damn. So much for rehearsing._

I was too nervous to notice the red rims around her eyes or the way she just gave me the emptiest stare I had ever seen. The look had me shut my mouth and frown; I failed at this completely. Part of me wished I could go back in time and do it over, or better yet, not do this at all. _Such a bad idea, abort, abort!_

Before I could apologize and run, she spoke up in a quiet voice, filled with heartbreaking sadness, "Cisco? What are you doing here?"

 _Oh, good! An opening! Explain your plan, now!_ I reached to open my shoulder bag quickly and as I did, I dropped the movies I held in my other hand. As I bent over to pick those up, the hundreds of bags of candy I had fell out of my bag and at Leah's feet. Cursing myself over and over under my breath, I went to pick those up too but another pair of hands beat me to it. Leah had bent down and picked up as many of the bags as she could, not noticing how close she had brought her face to mine. I could see the length of her long, dark eyelashes as she kept her eyes down on the floor. I quickly stood back up with her as she looked down at the bags of candy with a look of skepticism. _This probably looks real odd…_

"Reese Cups?" she asked, holding the yellow bag up before looking at me.

I couldn't help but crack a smile, the nerves slowly diminishing altogether. _The Reese Cups get everyone._ I held up one of the bags that I had managed to pick up, "And Hershey kisses, too."

I almost thought I saw the usual light in her eyes before it disappeared. However, there was that small pull at the corner of her mouth. I almost got her to smile.

She even teased me as she folded her arms across her chest, "I'm listening."

I chuckled and shook my head. I didn't have words to describe how awesome it was to hear her messing with me. I had missed this more than I even noticed.

"Movie night?" It was a question, of course. I didn't want to push any more than I already had, I got more out of her than I expected, and I didn't want to ruin this.

She glanced at my hand that held the movies and I watched her do the usual; first, look at me like she doesn't understand, shift her weight to the other leg, keep the arms folded, bite at the bottom lip and stare off into space in deep thought, and take the time to think. Usually, this drove me insane. She would do this purposely so that I would panic on the inside, unsure of what she was going to decide. Today was different, though; I saw her face fall from doing this on purpose to a serious thought. She was hesitating. _Take your time,_ I thought as I watched her. _Please, don't say no… I miss you._

We both blinked at the same time as her eyes met mine and she sighed. _Oh, no. No, no. I messed up. This was too soon for her, I shouldn't have come._ I closed my eyes and hung my head, preparing for her to tell me to leave. But again, she took me by surprise. I looked up and met her ocean deep eyes once more as she spoke in the softest voice I had ever heard.

"Well, come on in."

/

Hours had gone by and we went through about four movies before my eyelids began to feel heavy. We had made it through all of The Hobbit series and we had just started the very first episode of the Walking Dead on Netflix when something landed on my shoulder. Something tickled in my chest when I looked down with my half-closed eyes to see Leah's sleeping face. I hadn't even noticed she was getting sleepy. I looked over at the digital clock on the coffee table to see it read four o'clock.

 _Whoa! Four in the morning?!_

Panic set in and I went to jump up but I stopped myself, remembering the sleeping beauty leaning against me. Slowly, I removed myself from under her head and laid it down on the arm of the couch. I found my way to her room and grabbed two nice, fuzzy blankets before tucking her in. I used the other one for myself as I set myself down on her floor right next to where she was sleeping. I wasn't sure if she was okay about me falling asleep at her place but I was far too sleepy to make it home in one piece. It wasn't a peaceful night though.

 _He stood just across the room from me, standing right inside the particle accelerator. He wore the same black shirt and jeans as that night. As he turned to me, his features flashed into Leah's for a quick second before going back to his tall figure._

 _"_ _Ronnie?" I called out. He just stared at me, though, with the same blue eyes that Leah had. Again, Leah flashed to stand where he was before disappearing again. "Leah? Ronnie? What are you guys doing in there?"_

 _I almost squealed and I would've jumped though when I heard Leah's voice next to my ear, "Cisco?" I couldn't move my body, no, my body moved itself. I unwillingly turned my head to the right to see Leah, standing in the yellow dress she wore that night, tears streaming down her cheeks and it felt like my lungs were being suffocated. I had done that to her. This was my fault, she was crying because of me. "Cisco," she sobbed, "What have you done?"_

 _No. This wasn't what I wanted. I didn't want to do this._

 _Not again._

 _My body turned to face Ronnie again just as the loud bang echoed through the room. The door was slowly beginning to close. I could feel my heart raising as I watched Ronnie stand there. No, why wasn't he moving? He's supposed to get out!_

 _"_ _Ronnie!" I ran forward to the panel that would open the door. However, every time I reached the panel, it would pull away from me. The closer I got to it, the farther it would get from me. I didn't reach it until the door closed shut and Leah threw herself against the door to try and reopen it. It was too late._

"Ronnie, no!" I sat up in a panic, pushing the hair out of my face and swinging my head around the room to get ahold of my bearings. I was on the carpeted floor of an apartment, not my apartment, no, Leah's apartment. That's right; I had crashed on her floor.

I turned to the clock next to my head to see it read seven o'clock. I sighed and wiped the cold sweat off my forehead. These nightmares were just getting more frequent and worse. I didn't even get more than five hours of sleep this time.

"Cisco…" Her voice was quiet, filled with sleep and sadness.

I turned my head to come face to face with Leah's eyes… Ronnie's eyes, too…

I sighed and shook my head, wiping my face with the back of my hands, just noticing the wet trails along my face. Not good… I didn't want her to know about this, see me like this. She was already dealing with her own pain; I didn't want to add mine to her pile of sorrow.

"G-go back to sleep…" I whispered, reaching over and pulling the blanket up to her chin, feeling pulled in two different directions; part of me wanted to look at Leah, to know she was there and she was okay, and that I wasn't afflicting any more pain on her by showing her my pain. The other part of me wanted to steer clear and VERY far away from Ronnie's eyes. I couldn't have one without losing the other. My heart ached extremely and I tried to hide the tears that threatened to spill from Leah's prying eyes.

She took me by surprise, again. I really should stop being surprised by anything she does now; she ran her fingers once through my hair, almost comfortingly until I looked over at her. Her eyes were just like in my dream; wet and glassy, filled with sadness. My chest felt like it was being squeezed of all its oxygen and it took all I had to stifle the sob inside me. Instead of slapping me like I had expected- maybe even wanted- she took a hold of my shirt and gave it a weak little tug.

"Come, lay up here," she whispered, scooting over so there was empty space, just enough for me to lie down. "Come on."

I hesitated; I really wanted to argue with her. I was already causing her pain, pain that she was trying to hide from me; I was already being more of a bother than what I wanted to burden her with. But I didn't want to sleep on the floor anymore. It was hard, uncomfortable… It was lonely. I didn't want to feel alone anymore. So, I crawled up and settled in next to her. I was trying to be respectful and keep my distance, trying my best to make sure I wasn't touching any part of her when she threw that idea to the wolves. She leaned her head in and rested her forehead on my chest, and one of her hands drew a fist around my shirt as if to hold me there. I almost forgot how to breathe. _Her head is on your chest, if you don't breathe, she'll notice._ But as I inhaled, I let go of the sob that I was holding onto for so long and I felt her tense up.

 _Crap._ She stirred a little and let go of my shirt. Just as she was about to lean back to look up at me, I did the first thing that came to mind. I slipped my arm around her small waist and pulled her towards me, causing her head to rest against my chest again. She was warm like I had expected; I had never been this physically close to her before. It was nice.

The feeling of her warmth, the smell of fruit in her shampoo, the sound of her quiet breathing… the fact that she was breathing all built up in my mind and became overwhelming. I was shaking with silent tears before I could stop myself. I couldn't stop them from overflowing. Leah had gone stiff under my arm and I briefly was frightened that I had scared her until she wrapped one of her arms around me and held me close.

As I fell asleep that night, I had a feeling that I had needed her to be with me and to hold me a whole lot more than she needed me. But she accepted me anyways.


	3. Welcome Back

Leah

Months went by after that night that Cisco stayed over. We didn't talk about what had happened that night, we both knew what was going on; Ronnie's death had impacted all of us in different ways. I had to finally admit that I was being selfish by locking myself away from the world; I wasn't the only one who lost something, I wasn't the only one whose life changed.

I went back into work about a month after that night, exactly two months after Ronnie's death. Cisco welcomed me back with a cup of my favorite coffee that morning and I let him drive. I was too nervous to walk back into that building that I kept quiet the whole time and just listened to Cisco. He was never quiet. It was nice, though; his talking distracted me, it kept me from being alone with my thoughts. I hated being alone. I would always wonder what Ronnie would say or do if he was around.

" _You need to go back to work, sis. Quit being lazy."_ Yeah, that sounded about right.

I tried telling myself that it was Cisco that convinced me to go back to work but in all honesty, I knew Ronnie would be disappointed with me if I didn't. I couldn't just sit around and waste my life away. He wouldn't want that, he would hate that.

So, I sat and listened to Cisco while he drove. He talked about big things and little things; he caught me up on how Wells and Caitlin were doing, he talked about how nice the weather was, he mentioned a new Star Wars movie was coming soon, and then he said the name Barry Allen. Remembering Wells telling me about this mysterious person, I looked over at Cisco to give him my full attention. His hair was tied back into a low ponytail that day and he wore another one of his graphic t-shirts. To be honest, I was also wearing one of his graphic t-shirts; I didn't feel like dressing up nice for work like I usually do so I figured maybe it was acceptable to wear what Cisco normally does. So, I borrowed his shirt… and never gave it back…

"So, he gets struck by lightning, right? And he was having strokes and such at the hospital, it was weird!" he was explaining, so caught up in his story and wearing one of his goofy smiles on his face. I couldn't help but smile too; sometimes I wondered if he even noticed that I wasn't listening. He would ramble on while I zoned out to be consumed by my thoughts of Ronnie and if he ever did notice, he didn't say anything, he would just continue to talk. "But get this; he's fine! He's legit okay. Ever since Wells brought him into STAR Labs, he's been fine! He's like completely, physically healed, he just hasn't woken up yet! Weird, right?"

"Very," I nodded in agreement, looking back out the window again. And he continued to talk as we got closer and closer to STAR Labs.

My palms were sweaty and my heart quickened its pace as we walked inside. I knew the whole place like the back of my hands but I still let Cisco lead the way. I figured it'd be harder for him to stop me from running away if he was in front of me. It was silent in the elevator as we watched the buttons light up for each level we passed. I gripped my purse tightly, suddenly feeling suffocated. _I really shouldn't have come… Ronnie died in this building…_

"Hey," I looked over to see that Cisco had been watching me the whole time. He gave me a small, sad smile. "It's okay, I promise. Ronnie would want this."

I sighed and looked back down at the lit up buttons. "Yeah, I know."

When we reached the floor we wanted, we took two steps out and were already greeted by Harrison Wells. He sat and looked up at me from his silver wheelchair. He had a smile on his face as if my appearance was expected and welcomed.

"Welcome back, Leah." He said. I saw a flash of pain cross his face as his eyes looked me over. I knew what he was seeing, exactly what I see in the mirror every morning; Ronnie.

My voice cracked slightly but I managed to get out a quick, "Thank you, sir."

He gave me a slight nod and there was slight hesitation as if he wanted to say more, but he just simply turned around and rolled down the hall. I watched him disappear around the corner before sneaking a glance at Cisco. He was looking at me again, biting his bottom lip and watching my every movement; he knew I'd be considering the possibility of running off.

I forced my best smile as I reassured him, "I'm fine, really."

His eyebrows furrowed a little at the obvious lie but he went along with it, nodding his head as he switched his coffee cup into his other hand. He held out his free hand to me right then but avoided my eyes. He didn't have to explain what he was doing though, I surprisingly understood him very well. I took his hand in mine and held it tight; it was out in the open now, he could probably feel how sweaty my hands were and the way they slightly shook. If he didn't already know I was so nervous to be here, well, now he knew. I finally let go of the breath I didn't even know I was holding when he looked up at me, giving me one of his smiles. He was trying his best to be there for me and I appreciated it more than he knew. I followed him further into the lab after that.

He led me to the main area where Caitlin sat with her back to us at one of the computers. I noticed her immediately with her bright red hair. Her shoulders were slumped just a tad and she was leaning forward, completely invested in her work. I didn't notice how tight I was squeezing Cisco's hand until he squeezed back.

He leaned closer to my ear to whisper, "She's still your friend, Leah."

He gently let go of my hand then and walked in, leaving me standing alone by the doorframe. Caitlin jumped slightly when Cisco sat down next to her.

"Morning," he greeted her.

She breathed out a sigh of relief, "Hey, Cisco."

I had the smallest chance to run away before Cisco jerked his head in my direction and told Caitlin, "Leah is here."

She spun her office chair around quickly, her red hair almost flying in her face. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of me standing there. It wasn't until she looked me in the eyes that she flinched. My chest stung at the sight of it; it was small but she still had that fleeting reaction as though I had spat in her face. _Yep. There it is._ When she looked into my eyes, of course, she would see Ronnie's eyes. They were identical to his after all.

I spoke up quickly in hoping that my voice would wipe the pained expression off her face, "Hi, Caitlin."

"Leah," the sound was almost like a sigh of relief. The sound of my voice was almost like it had brought her back to reality to remind her that it was just me. She took me by surprise as she stood up out of her chair, walked forward, and scooped me up into a big hug. I glanced at Cisco over Caitlin's shoulder but he just smiled at us. "It's good to see you," she told me before pulling away to look at me. "How are you?"

I hesitated. _Wait, how am I?_ It seemed bizarre that she was asking me how I was doing. Not only had I lost my twin brother but she had lost her fiancée. And yet, she was putting her feelings aside to check on how I was doing. Cisco was right; she was still my friend.

"I-I'm still…. I'm…" I couldn't put into words how I was feeling. It still hurt, it hurt to be inside STAR Labs, but it was nice to see her and it was nice to know that she was doing alright. I finally sighed, gaining the proper words I needed to speak, "I'm doing okay."

She smiled and gave me a look that reminded me of my mother. It was like everything was great now that she knew I was alright. Caitlin was supposed to be my sister-in-law, but since she found out Ronnie and I lost our parents at a young age, she had also become somewhat motherly towards me. She was only two years older than me but she was caring enough to play the role of my friend, sister, and my mother. It was nice to know I had someone like that.

And then I flinched at the quick pain in my chest as she asked, "How are you and Drew?"

I noticed Cisco move out of the corner of my eye and I could feel both of their eyes on me. Although Cisco has spent almost every day with me since our first movie night at my place, I hadn't even told him what happened. Mainly because the whole situation itself angered me. I shouldn't have dated such a selfish, conceited guy in the first place.

"We broke up…" I told them and Caitlin frowned. "But it's okay, really! It's whatever."

Cisco spun around in his chair again to face the computers and took a swig of his coffee before saying, "You deserve better anyways."

Caitlin rolled her eyes at the comment before responding with, "Like who? You?" Cisco seemed to jump and made an odd sound in the back of his throat as if he were choking before Caitlin turned back to face me. She had an odd, satisfied smirk on her face, and before I could ask what for, she spoke up again, "I'm sorry I asked. Want to talk about what happened?"

"Um… He broke up with me four days ago… He was mad at me for not speaking to him…" I hesitated, wondering how far I wanted to explain things to them. It was honestly embarrassing to admit that I dated this jerk anyways.

"You didn't really speak to anyone, thought," Cisco pointed out, still looking down at his computer. For some reason, the top of his ears were red. "So, why would he get mad at you for that?"

I sighed and pulled out my phone. "Okay… But you asked for it." I then began to read the message he sent me out loud. "Leah, this is getting ridiculous. You can't be a hermit for the rest of your life and I'm tired of you acting like I'm not important too…" I paused and took a deep breath before the next part, my blood boiling as it had when I first received the message. "Your brother is dead. Get over it. It's been a month now and you're being stupid. I don't think I can be with someone this naïve anymore. I'm sorry, I really did try. Bye, Leah."

When I looked back at the two of them, they were both looking with wide eyes. Caitlin's seemed cold and pissed off like she was ready to kill someone. Cisco's stared with anger, obvious anger that burned like fire. I set my phone down on the desk and shrugged my shoulders. I really didn't care anymore. He was an asshole, lesson learned. I had friends that actually cared about my feelings, I didn't need him to ruin that for me.

"Yep, okay," Cisco stood up out of his seat and I watched in confusion as he threw his jacket on and took the hair tie out of his hair, letting his hair fall around his shoulders. "I'm going to go beat him up, he deserves a good beating. You comin', Cait?" He didn't even wait for a response as he headed for the door.

Caitlin closed her eyes and took a deep breath before replying, "Cisco, c'mon. Sit back down."

He paused at the door, his back to me and I couldn't quite understand what he was thinking. He took a deep breath that caused a stretch in his back shoulders before turning around. He slowly walked back, obviously still wanting to go out the door, and he sat back down. I couldn't help but smile and shake my head. He was a dork, but he was also very loyal and protective over his friends. It was one of the best things about him.

"Cisco is right, though." Caitlin admitted, turning her attention back to me.

I was surprised. Never thought I'd hear her say those words. "On beating him up?" I asked, confused on where we stood in this conversation.

She giggled and shook her head. "No. You deserve better."

I saw Cisco nod in agreement from the corner of my eyes as he continued to furrow his brows in frustration. It was like a dog on a leash; he really wanted to give Drew a piece of his mind. I smiled at the two of them. I really had some amazing friends.

"The best," Cisco mumbled under his breath.

"Still isn't you," Caitlin teased.

"I didn't say me!"


	4. My Rock, Your Rock

Please, ignore the dotted lines. I couldnt get them to go away -Little Red

Leah

I spent the next few months fixing and rebuilding STAR Labs technology and helping Caitlin watch over Barry. They were right about him; he seemed physically fine, but we had no way of knowing when he would wake up again. We didn't rush things, though. Of course, we kept in touch with his legal guardian, well, father Joe West and Joe's daughter, Iris. She was pretty and when I told her that we weren't sure when Barry would wake up and her face fell with disappointment, I had a feeling there was something there.

I voiced this to Barry Allen one day when I was checking his vitals. "You like her, don't you? I don't blame you, she's pretty. I think she likes you too, just so you know… But it's been nine months, Barry. You've got to wake up eventually."

"Still talking to Mr. Snores?" Cisco asked as he bounded into the room with a spring to his step.

I felt my cheeks turn pink and I shrugged my shoulders. "I think it helps."

"Eh, he'll wake up when he's ready," he took a slurp of the slushy he held in his hand and tilted his head to the side as he looked me up and down.

It wasn't unusual for Cisco to check me out by now, we spent almost every day together and he would complement me when he felt it was needed. However, this time I knew why he was doing it and my cheeks blushed brighter before he could even ask.

"Is that my shirt you're wearing?"

I glanced down at the Star Wars shirt I was wearing; it obviously wasn't mine, for it was a bit long and baggy on me. I avoided his eyes, writing down Barry's vitals to distract myself and make myself look busy. "I was hoping you wouldn't notice," I mumbled.

His voice was quiet when he told me, "Oh. Well… I don't mind. It's just a shirt."

"Honestly, I thought it was mine until I put it on this morning! By then, it was already on and I was running late, and-,"

He chuckled, "It's fine, really. Besides, looks better on you."

I smiled, mocking what he said earlier, "It's just a shirt." The shirt smelled immensely like him, though. THAT was the real reason why I didn't take it off that morning. He smelled good, nothing wrong with that…. Right?

Time Skip

Barry woke up several days later and I couldn't help but think it was because of the one-sided conversations I had with him. He just needed encouraging words to wake him up. But he didn't stay long, actually, he left the next morning and STAR Labs was quiet again. Wells seemed a bit cranky and snapped at any joke that came from Cisco and I.

"I thought the whole point was to get him better so he could go home to his family."

"Of course, it was," Wells immediately agreed with me but his attitude remained the same the rest of the week. It wasn't long before Barry came back though in a weirder condition than when he left. He had a _super speed_ , and I mean, running at distances that nobody else could ever dream of reaching. He was the fastest man alive.

"The particle accelerator… It must've done this to you when you were struck by the lightning…" Wells explained, rubbing his temples, seeming frustrated.

After many weeks of research, we figured out that Wells was right. Something about the dark matter that was shot out of the particle accelerator affected Barry and gave him these… superpowers. That was the only logical term I had for it. _Superpowers and logic. Never thought I'd use that in the same sentence._ And as time went by, we came to find that Barry wasn't the only one affected by the particle accelerator.

Cisco gave each of these "metahumans" names as we slowly caught or defeated one after the other. We were a team; Team Flash.

"This guy turns into poison mist… anyone else find that to be real creepy?" Cisco asked as we were analyzing one of our criminals.

"The Mist!" I offered, knowing Cisco had been struggling to give him a name for the longest time now.

"Yes! That's what I'm talking about!" We half-fived each other.

Barry looked to Caitlin in distress before turning to the two of us. "The Mist? Why? She came up with that name, not you. You never let me come up with the names!" He genuinely looked disappointed and I couldn't help but giggle.

Cisco shrugged his shoulder, "She's my best friend. Not you!"

Barry pretended to be offended, holding his hand to his chest. "Ouch."

Cisco rolled his eyes, "Do you cuddle with me when we watch movies?"

I could feel the heat rising to my face as Caitlin turned to us right then, eyes practically bulging out of her head. "Cuddle? You guys… cuddle?"

"N-not really! I wouldn't call it cuddling… More like… Like… Holding…" I stumbled to find a better term, something that seemed more "platonic" than it sounded at the moment but nothing came out.

Barry faced Caitlin with a wide grin on his face. Oh, I told you Leaco was a thing."

"What the hell is Leaco?" Cisco asked, leaning forward on the desk, confused.

Barry and Caitlin both giggled as they gave each other knowing looks that Cisco and I didn't fully understand. Maybe they were a thing? Maybe Leaco was code for "we should go on a secret date?" _Or maybe they're just weird_ , I thought to myself. Yeah, that did seem a bit more plausible.

I watched Barry practically skip out the room and Cisco's frown grew deeper. "No, seriously, I don't understand! What is Leaco?!" He called after the all-too-happy Barry, but he never got an answer.

Time Skip

Later that night, Caitlin had made her way over to my place and we sat on my couch with wine and spent our time watching reruns of Pretty Little Liars. She insisted we had girl night which was something I hadn't done with her in a while. I enjoyed spending time with her and sharing all the good gossip.

"I heard Martnee and Joe got married!" Caitlin informed me of our old co-workers.

I set my wine glass down on the table. "Really? I haven't heard from them in ages."

"Me either," she confessed, "I saw it on social media. Wonder why we weren't invited…"

"Probably because we don't talk to anyone from back then."

She laid one of the couch pillows on her lap and sat up, seemingly quite interested. "You haven't heard from Max?" Small stray pieces of hair fell out of her ponytail and landed in front of her face but she didn't seem to notice.

Max was an old friend from when I started working at the lab. He left not long after Hartley had left, but we managed to keep in touch. He was six feet and three inches tall exactly and I only know that because the day we met was when he was loading something heavy into a truck and something snapped in his back, causing it almost impossible for him to move. So, Wells had him taken to me and Caitlin, knowing we both had medical background. Caitlin still swears that he flirted with me that day, but I don't see it. I do remember Cisco making funny faces at me every time Max had his back to him, though; and when I started to laugh, it confused Max, but I found it funny nonetheless.

"Max?" I took the Spongebob blanket that was draped over the couch and wrapped it around myself; for some odd reason, Caitlin loved the cold atmosphere so she had turned my heat down a little too much. "Not since Ronnie's funeral…" She visably flinched at the mention of Ronnie's name and I immediately regretted this, knowing there was nowhere to run now.

She sighed, "We still haven't talked about that."

"I don't want to."

"You have to someday. So you can move on and be happy."

"I have talked about it. With Cisco," I lied, "And I'm working on the happy part…"

Her smile which was already very small fell completely. "Oh… You talked to Cisco about it… W-well, that's good…"

"Caitlin…" My voice was quiet now, filled with regret. I shouldn't have told her that. "I want to talk about it with you… I want to tell you how I feel, I want to be honest with you but… I'm. Not. Ready."

She gave me a small smile, laying a comforting hand on my shoulder. "You're never going to be fully ready, Leah. You're never going to fully get over it. He was your brother, your twin… You'll always miss him."

I sighed. "Yeah… Don't remind me."

To lighten the mood, she changed the subject; peering down at the Spongebob blanket, she asked, "This is nice," she ran her hand along the fuzzy material, "Where did you get it from?"

"Oh, it's not mine. It's Cisco's." I admitted. The moment her blue eyes widen, I cursed myself mentally for saying it. "It's not like that, Cait."

She groaned in frustration and threw her head back on the couch to look up at the ceiling. "I don't see why not! I think you two would be so cute. And he SO likes you, Leah."

I rolled my eyes, taking my wine glass and let the red wine touch my lips. "You don't have any proof or reason to believe so."

She sat up and looked at me with determination streaking through her whole face. "I have all the proof in the world. I can start with that blanket and how that isn't the only thing you have of his at your place! He calls you Lele-,"

"You call me Lele." I pointed out, avoiding her eyes for my face was feeling unnaturally warm under her knowing stare.

She shook her head, "But he came up with the nickname AND uses it the most. You guys also "don't" cuddle when watching movies? You have movie nights! Does he stay the night?"

"Why do you think the blanket and clothes are here?" I blurted out before thinking.

"Ha!"

"That doesn't mean anything!"

She laughed menacingly, almost like an evil villain who has killed their play. It's almost frightening when Caitlin is right about something. It should be illegal to be that happy about being right. But… She wasn't right! Cisco and I were just friends. Sure, we were closer than most people but there was nothing wrong with that, right? He was just my best friend.

"You guys joke around all the time! You're practically inseparable!" Caitlin almost shouted, causing her voice to echo around the studio apartment.

I laughed, "Will you be quiet and quit saying weird things?"

"Why is it so hard to see how that boy feels about you?" Her voice had soften into something sincere and she was looking at me with honest eyes.

I sighed, wishing I could believe her. Shrugging my shoulders, I quietly told her, "I just don't see it, Caitlin. He's my best friend."

"Maybe that's why he likes you?" She suggested, rubbing my head affectionately. The gesture reminded me of Ronnie, he used to do that a lot. "It's like… Like when something good happens to you, he's the first person you want to tell. And when something bad happens, he's the first person you want a hug from. When you have a secret…?" She left the question wide open for me to finish.

"Oh, there is no secrets. I tell him everything."

"Why?"

"Because I know I can. I know I can trust him with anything."

"Because he's your rock."

"My rock?"

"Yeah," she went on to explain, "The person you lean on for everything. Your stability."

I thought about it for a bit. Ever since Ronnie had passed, Cisco was there for me through the good and the bad times. All the nightmares and the tears, he managed to make those disappear as much as he could. He made me laugh, even when I didn't feel like I was capable. He just knew exactly what to say and that's why I felt the need to have him around.

"Yeah, my rock."

Caitlin's eyes changed again; this time they glistened as if she had found something interesting. Her lips slowly formed a bright smile that went from ear to ear. I hadn't seen her smile happily like that in ages.

"Ronnie was my rock. Just like Cisco is yours."


	5. The Burning Man

Cisco

I sat on the floor of Leah's living room with a bowl of popcorn on my lap. My back was leaning against her knees as we were watching Lord of the Rings. Again. She claimed she loved this movie for the action but in retrospect, I think she liked the way the elves looked. She wasn't very girly, at least not around me, but she did have a thing for princes and princesses, and all things fairytale. I think she liked the whole idea of having a prince sweep her off her feet. I found that to be silly, though; she was amazing enough to take care of herself, what would her knight in shining armor do for her? Cook and clean like the housemaid?

As for why I was sitting on the floor, she somehow convinced me to let her play with my hair. It started off with her just weaving her fingers through my hair and I caught myself tilting my head back, almost dozing off against one of her knees, but after a while, she got bored and started trying weird things with my hair. Before I knew it, she had hair ties and hair clips all along my hair; hair bows and braids all aligned my head.

"You having fun there?" I asked when I heard her giggle behind me. However, I kept my eyes glued to the television, terrified to see what she had done to my hair.

I felt her move and before I knew it, she had pressed her weight against my back. I pushed back to keep from falling forward into the popcorn bowl and before I could ask what she was doing, she placed her chin on my shoulder and held her phone out in front of us to take a selfie; she smiled, and I looked completely mortified.

Laughing, she sat back on the couch again, tucking her legs under her so we were no longer touching. I could feel the warmth leave me immediately but I was too preoccupied by her continuous, echoing laughter. It rang like bells throughout her studio apartment.

It was hard to hide a smile when I heard it, and I turned to her, trying my best to look as serious as I could, "Alright, alright," I held my hand up, motioning for the phone, "You had your fun. Delete the picture. Come on, give it to me."

She continued to laugh as she backed away from me, shaking her head quickly. "Leah, delete it!"

Gasping for air in between her fit of giggles, she said, "No." Her brown hair fell into her face as she continued to shake her head.

 _Damn,_ a smile formed on my lips as she curled into a corner of the couch as far from me as she could get.

"Leah Margarine Raymond, give me the phone!" I laughed.

She gasped, "You did NOT just use my middle name!" She grabbed the couch pillow beside her and threw it at me. I didn't see it coming and gasped as it hit me square in the face.

"Oh, NOW you asked for it," I told her, launching myself onto the couch.

"No, no, no, NO!" She squealed as I pinned her arms away from me with one hand and continued tickling her with the other. She squirmed as much as she could with no success. "Cisco, please!" She laughed, "I can't breathe!"

"Then delete it, Lele!" I'll admit, my chest was swelling with pride that I got her laughing so loudly that it echoed throughout the room. _Who else makes her do that? This is why you're the best friend… Yeah, just the best friend._

The thought brought myself to a stop. Maybe this was why I was her best friend and ONLY her best friend? I wrestle with her, I let her braid my hair… I could be like her brother in her mind…

"Cisco?" Her voice snapped me out of my dreaded thoughts and I looked down to see we were much closer than I had expected. I was leaned over her, practically on top of her, and our faces were so close. I still held her hands against my chest where she couldn't move them as I hovered over her on the couch. Her dark hair was spread out along the arm of the couch. My hand was still sitting on her side.

"Sorry," I quickly said, moving to lay next to her instead. Her hair brushed against my face for a second; she smells like lavender and… vanilla? I closed my eyes and smiled just a little when she turned to her side and reached to my hair again to remove the hair clips and hair bows. I acted like I didn't notice when her fingers lingered in my hair a little longer, even when all the hair pieces were gone. When I was relieved of her hair-torture- devices, I chuckled, "Thanks."

She giggled and the couch dipped a little as she shifted to get more comfortable. I smiled, keeping my eyes closed as she tucked her head under my chin and buried her face in my neck. I loved it when she did that, and when she let me slide an arm around her waist and pull her close. It usually ended with that, the two of us lying there like that until we fell asleep; however, she didn't fall asleep as quickly as she usually does.

Instead, she spoke up in a soft whisper, "I wish you would tell me what you were thinking."

My mouth twitched slightly at the threatening smile to her common words. It wasn't the first time she's told me this. There were also plenty of times where she would randomly ask me what I was thinking as if she wanted to understand me completely; what I was feeling and thinking at all times of the day. It didn't bother me at all that she wanted to know this because I caught myself wondering the same thing about her plenty of times.

"What are you thinking about?" I questioned just as quietly.

I laughed as she hit my chest, weakly and playfully. "I asked first!" I didn't have to see her face to know she was pouting.

"Honestly?"

"Of course."

 _I want to be more than friends!_

"Wondering if we'd be this close… even if the accident hadn't of happened. Even if I hadn't come over that night." I lied. Not that it was a complete lie; this was a thought that occurred to me almost every time we hung out.

I felt her tense up underneath my arm and I knew immediately why the topic was soft. The accident always reminded her of Ronnie.

"I'm sorry," I quickly blurted out. My arm instinctively pulled her tighter to where there was no space in between us. "Just forget I said it," I begged, hoping I didn't make her cry.

"No, it is okay," she assured me, her voice sounding clearer than I expected. "I've wondered that a couple of times too."

Glad that Ronnie wasn't brought up, I asked, "And what do you think?"

"That it is impossible." She simply stated.

"You think so?  
"I believe in fate."

My cheeks flushed at what she said. It was hard not to smile as I replied, "So, you think we're fate?"

My attempt to not smile failed as she gave a giggle. The best thing about the giggle was that it was a nervous giggle. I was spot on.

"I think… That if the universe wanted us to be as close as we are… That if the universe wanted us to be the bests of best friends, then this would've happened whether you came over that night or not."

I hummed in appreciation as I moved my hand from her waist to run it through hair. "I'm glad the universe wants this then."

She giggled again, quietly and almost in a sleepy way. I could tell she was slowly starting to doze off as she leaned more of her weight on me and her head drooped in between my neck and shoulder where her nose touched my neck. Still smiling, I reached back and grabbed the blanket on the back of the couch and laid it overtop of us, making sure to tuck it around her so she was completely covered.

There was a pause of silence before I whispered, "Are you going to delete the picture?"

I could hear a smile in her voice as she whispered, "Nope."

"Are you going to show it to anyone?"

"Nah, I'll keep this one to myself."

Time Skip

Things are different at work, though. Leah is good at distinguishing between work and anything outside of work. A little TOO good sometimes. So, somedays it's hard to even remember what her hands feel like, or how warm her hugs are like they were the night before. But I always keep that to myself because Leah likes to keep it professional.

It still sucks though.

I'd never tell her but sometimes I would wonder what she would do if I took her hand and held it in front of everyone. What if I kissed the back of it right in front of Caitlin and Barry? Would she blush? Would she smack me? No doubt, she'd smack me, I was sure. But would she smack my face or my arm? There is a difference! If she smacked my arm, well, it wouldn't be the first time she has and usually when she does it, she's just playing. Or it's because I said something inappropriate and she's knocking me back into reality. But if she smacked me in the face, well… Well, obviously it was a mistake.

 _Why are you even questioning it? It's not like you would do it anyways!_

"Cisco." Once again, it was her voice that brought me back to Earth. I blinked a few times to focus on her face, just as she dropped the hand that she was waving in front of my eyes. "Are you okay?"

"S-sorry," I blurted out, shaking my head and still blinking, trying to come back from my train of thoughts.

"You were staring."

"Yeah, well, I try not to," I mumbled.

"What?"

She didn't hear me. _Good._

"Nothing, nothing." I turned back to my computer. "Find any links to the burning man yet?"

There was a new metahuman now, one we heard rumors about in the city. For some odd reason, Caitlin had grown very interested in him, wanting to know more about him. She didn't want to tell Wells about it and wouldn't tell me or Leah why.

My brunette best friend shook her head, unknowingly letting a strand of hair fall out of her ponytail and land next to her cheek. "Nope. Cisco, for all we know, this man probably doesn't even-," something on her computer beeped, "Hold up, someone just reported seeing a strange man…" she continued reading the screen before adding, "A man who is on fire!"

"Come on, let's go figure this out."

Time Skip

We were halfway there when Leah broke the silence between us, "We probably should've asked Barry to come with us."

"Why?"

"Because if this man is dangerous, who's going to save us?"

I felt some weird feeling rise in me and I physically swallowed it to keep it from rising. "Don't worry about it."

She glanced at me, her eyes filled with paranoia, "We could get hurt."

I reached over without even thinking and took her hand in mine. She glanced down at our hands and my face flushed, but I pretended not to notice as I kept my eyes on the road. "You have me. If you're worried about getting hurt, don't be. I won't let anything happen. Ever."

There was another short silence and I continued to hold her hand until I thought about how long I had been holding it, and the fact that her hand was still limp in mine. I was going to let go until she turned her hand in mine and weaved her fingers through mine. She gave my hand a small squeeze and I couldn't help but smile, knowing I comforted her. She surely was independent and could take care of herself, but it was a nice feeling during the rare moments that she would also accept my help.

I finally pulled into the parking lot and we jumped out of the white van we had borrowed from STAR Labs. Unfortunately, she had to let go of my hand to do so. She held a thermal device in which I taught her how to build. She wasn't bad with technology when I first met her, her college major had been bio chemistry with a minor in bio engineering after all, but she had mainly stuck to the science of things and the most technology she had spent with was computers until she met me. As we spent more time together, I taught her how to build things from scratch and sometimes she would come into my work office to do just that and we would work in comfortable silence.

"Whoa," she mumbled, peering down at the machine.

"What is it?" I peered over her shoulder, not meaning to get as close as I did.

"It's going crazy," she told me, referring to the readings.

I took the device and went to check it just before it shut off. "Oh… How I wish it did that because the batteries ran out…"

"C-Cisco…" Her voice was shaky as she grabbed my hand. Her hand was clammy and shaking.

Confused, I looked up to see someone watching us just a few feet away. The man stood tall, in an oddly familiar stance, his clothes were ripped and even burned in a few areas. We had found the burning man. I wanted to flinch away as he stared us down… Or at least I think he was; we couldn't see his face past his long, tangled hair. But I could almost feel his fiery glare.

He stepped forward and Leah flinched for me. She hid half her body behind me, still grasping my hand tightly, but her eyes never left the man. Neither did mine. I stood protectively in front of Leah but I continued to observe the stranger. Why do I feel that I've seen him before?

"I told her to quit looking for me…" The guy said in a low, deep voice as he clenched his fist tightly. "You shouldn't be here…"

Leah made a noise behind me; somewhere between a choking sound and a gasp. I panicked as she let go of my hand and moved around me to step forward. Her eyes were still glued on the burning man, but now they were wide and watery. She looked like she was about to run to him.

"Leah!" I grabbed her shoulder and she stopped where she was, but she still didn't look at me.

Before I could ask what she was doing, she whimpered, "R-Ronnie?"


	6. Flickering Lights

Leah

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. I stood only a few feet away from my "dead", twin brother. Everything about him was different, though. He looked like he hadn't showered in weeks, his hair was as long as Cisco's hair, except Ronnie's was tangled and matted like an abandoned mutt. His face was covered in dirt and soot. His blue eyes- my blue eyes- they were empty as they looked at me; it was almost like he didn't recognize me.

"Ronnie?" I called to him again.

He flinched as I said his name and his fist clenched even tighter, turning his knuckles white. He had a pained look on his face and my heart ached. Every bone in my body yearned to run forward and tackle him, hug him tighter than I ever had. My mind was in denial that he was really there- _I miss him so much, my mind must be kidding me_ \- but my eyes were seeing him for sure, and from what I could tell, Cisco could see him too. I couldn't be hallucinating.

I had dreamed about this moment for almost two years now; a year, seven months, three weeks, and two days to be exact. Ever since his funeral, I pictured this moment… It wasn't how I imagined, though. I pictured hugging and crying, and full on celebration. But he looked like he didn't even want to see me. He looked like he was disgusted at the sight of me.

"Go away," he growled.

"Ronnie, please," I stepped forward again, shrugging Cisco's hand off my shoulder. "It's me. It's Leah… It's your other half. Your twin, Leah, remember?" I was now close enough to peer up into his face. My eyes watered as he looked at me blankly. There was nothing in his eyes. He was not the same Ronnie. "What happened to you, Ronnie?"

"THAT's NOT MY NAME!" He shouted in my face.

Suddenly, there was a lot of heat and I gasped and backed up. I felt Cisco's arms around me and he pulled me behind him, protectively. I didn't want him to though. I couldn't understand why he was panicking. This was Ronnie! He wouldn't hurt me…

I looked over at Ronnie to see his hands and head was emerged in fire. His eyes glowed a dangerous white and he barred his teeth at us, almost like a dog. Okay, it wasn't fully Ronnie but I wasn't about to give up on my brother.

"Ronnie, don't do this!" Cisco demanded, keeping me shielded.

"QUIT CALLING ME THAT!" He shouted. "Leave me alone, I'm NOT Ronnie! Quit looking for me! All three of you!" The fact that Caitlin knew about this was the last thing on my mind.

He faced the palm of his hands to the ground and a stream of fire shot out and touched the sidewalk. At that, he shot up towards the sky- he was flying!

"Ronnie, no, wait!" I begged, trying to jump forward to stop him but Cisco kept me from doing that. Cisco finally let me go once he was far from us and I ran forward a bit as if I could catch him, but he long gone. Everything felt empty then. I hadn't felt that lonely since he "died" and I stood alone after the funeral had ended to say a goodbye privately. I cried then too, just as I was crying now.

 _I had him. He was here. He was alive and I HAD HIM._ When he was no longer in sight, hot and boiling tears spilled down my cheeks because I could no longer hold them at bay. I had him and then I lost him, again. As soon as the tears spilled, the heat that flew through my veins matched that of how hot my tears were. It all burned, it all hurt. I was angry and so hurt.

I quickly turned to face Cisco and his face quickly changed to a pained expression when he saw me. I've only cried in front of him once because I try so hard not to. The only time I cried around him was the funeral. He drove me home afterwards, and I locked him and all the others out the next few weeks.

"How could you?" My voice came out more calmly and cold than I felt. Actually, I felt like I was on fire, every inch of me burned. I was in so much pain. "How. Could. You?"

"Leah-," he started to walk toward me.

"NO, HOW COULD YOU?" I stepped back from him, stepping into the light of one of the street post as the light flickered a few times. "He was right there… H-he needed our help… Why did you stop me? How… WHY?"

"That wasn't Ronnie!" He raised his voice at me as he cried to step towards me again. I stepped away and turned away from him as someone turned their car lights on nearby.

"He's scared… HE'S SCARED and he NEEDS our help and you LET HIM GO!" I turned to face him again just as the streetlight flickered and then went out. "Why did you stop me? Why, Cisco?"

He glanced up at something above my head, looking confused for a second. "I'm sorry, Leah-."

The laugh that escaped my mouth was hysterical. I threw my hands up to my hair, raking my fingers through it, feeling insane. "Oh, he's sorry," I laughed to myself again.

"Leah, please, just get in the car!"

My mouth straightened into a thin line. I lost my brother again.

The tears continued to spill as I headed for the van. Cisco tried to say something to me, stepping my way, by I just bumped his shoulder with mine and walked past him. I heard him sigh before I climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut. _Sorry. Right._ I stared straight ahead, not bothering to put my seatbelt on as Cisco climbed into the car with me. He snapped his seatbelt on and grabbed the keys to turn on the car, but paused.

I didn't even look up at him as he tried again, "I am sorry, so sorry."

"I hate you," I cried, my voice was now weak and tiny. The tears burned so much now that I was no longer crying but sobbing. My heart ached so much for Ronnie that I was uncontrollably sobbing an ugly sob.

I heard Cisco's voice crack, "Leah, please don't." He reached forward to grab my hand like he did just minutes before. I didn't want it this time though.

"DON'T TOUCH ME." I growled, pressing myself against the car door and as far away from his as possible. I heard the engine of the car as the car turned on.

"Leah-."

"I HATE you! I hate that you try to make me feel better! I will NEVER feel better! Ronnie was DEAD," the headlights turned on and Cisco called my name again, but I kept going, "I will ALWAYS hurt until I have my brother back and you took that from me!"

The car horn honked and I looked up at him, feeling wild and real angry. "WILL YOU QUIT DOING THAT?!"

The last thing I saw was Cisco's pained expression; his eyes were filled with water that threatened to fall like mine and his mouth was open in anguish, wishing he could say something although I wouldn't let him. The last thing I saw was Cisco.

And then the car lurched forward so quickly and crashed into the concrete wall of the building in front of us.

Time Skip

The pain in my head was vomit worthy. I woke up, unsure where I was with a huge migraine or something. Feeling woozy and ready to lean over and get sick, I realized I was already leaning forward in a very awkward position. My back burned and my head pounded as I opened my eyes. I was face to face with a dashboard and a pile of glass. I tried to lift my head to see where I was and what had happened but as I did, pain shot down my spine. Something hard was pressed against my back and keeping me from standing, I couldn't even move to see what it was, I was too weak. I whimpered just slightly as I continued to try and move in anyway, but my body wouldn't listen; everything hurt.

I was able to turn my head just a tad as I heard the hum of something vibrating. On the floor by my feet, my phone lay on the floor with more glass. Caitlin's name lit up on my phone as she called me. I reached for it but was too short, my fingers didn't even brush against the screen. It rang until sent to voicemail.

 _Car accident._ I then remembered that I was in the car with Cisco when it somehow slammed into the wall. Panic swelled in me as I turned my head to look at Cisco. He was limp against the car door, his hair covered his face and his head was leaning up against what was left of his window.

"Cisco," I tried calling out but it only sounded like a pained, squeal. I couldn't even tell if he was breathing. "Cisco," I tried again, not getting any louder. I tried moving again but the pain shot down my spine again and it felt like my rib was being ripped.

The vibration of my phone sounded again and I looked down to see Barry's name lit up this time. On the verge of tears, I helplessly reached for it again, but got no closer than last time. _We shouldn't have come, Cisco. We shouldn't have done this._ I wanted to say as tears fell down my face and my vision was slowly fading. _We shouldn't have come. I don't want this. We're going to die like this._ "Help… Barry, help…"

I didn't stop trying to reach for the phone as I fell unconscious again.

Time Skip

I could vaguely hear a familiar voice call my name a few times as I was moved.

"Leah… Leah, stay with me… Come on, I got you… Hang in there, Leah…"

Time Skip

It felt like years before I was able to open my eyes again, not that I wanted to. When I did, there was a bright, white light shining on me. I blinked a few times and closed my eyes again. _Maybe, I'm dead. If I am, God won't mind if I go back to sleep, right?_

However, my mind wouldn't allow that. It thought about the car accident, Ronnie, and hoped and hoped that Cisco was okay. It was also distracted by the pain in my head and the throbbing coming from my whole right side. Reluctantly, knowing I wasn't going back to sleep any time soon, I opened my eyes slowly and allowed myself to adjust to the light.

The first person I saw was Caitlin, not that I was surprised. She had her back to me, leaning over her desk and writing something down. I could hear the sound of her pen scratching the paper, along with the beeping noise of my heart monitor. I didn't want to be here. She was the last person I wanted to talk to at the moment, but there was no possible way I was getting up anytime soon, so I gripped the white hospital sheets in my hands and spoke up.

My voice was gross with pain and sadness, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Her head quickly snapped up and she turned to look at me, "Oh, Leah! Thank goodness you're okay!" She seemed genuinely happy to see me but I hated that I just couldn't feel the same way. My eyes were watering up again. "Oh, do you hurt? I can give you more pain medication- it is time to take some more anyways—."

"Why didn't you tell me?" I repeated again a little louder as a tear fell. She jumped at my sudden reaction and looked at me with wide eyes. She opened her mouth to say something but I quickly cut her off, "You knew that was Ronnie." It wasn't a question, no, I knew for sure that she had known the burning man was Ronnie before she even told me about him. "You knew it was him and didn't say anything… Why? I… I could've been more prepared, Caitlin… I… I could've helped him if I had known beforehand…" The lights flickered. _What is with the city's electricity lately?_

Caitlin eyed the lights suspiciously, noticing the flicker too before speaking up, "Leah, I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, Cisco said the same thing, but it doesn't mean a damn thing anymore."

Caitlin frowned, "I didn't want you to think I was crazy." Her eyes watered as she went on, "And I wasn't completely sure it was him! I didn't want to get your hopes up! It would've broke your heart-."

"My brother practically spat in my face and told me he wanted nothing to do with me, Caitlin." I said, my voice was in a calm and cold state, but the tears burned hot nonetheless. "THAT hurt. My brother is supposed to be DEAD and yet, he's roaming the street, lost and scared, and wanting nothing to do with me." The lights flickered more and my heart monitor shut off completely. "NOTHING… Nothing hurts more than that…"

A few tears fell down her face and she quickly wiped them away and shook her head. "Leah…" But she said no more, because there was no more to say.

I still felt panicky and although I was mad at him, my mind quickly went to Cisco. "Where is he?"

I didn't even have to elaborate on who I was speaking of. "He's okay. A concussion, broken arm, stitches on the head, but better than you… Y-you didn't have your seatbelt on, Leah…" My mind went back to the last minute of the car accident when I slammed my head against the dashboard. "W-when Barry carried you in… You were so covered in blood and we were so scared that we were going to lose you…" She cried.

I cried along with her, my body shaking with sobs which was killing my side. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay… W-what's wrong with me?"

"Concussion, fourteen stitched to the forehead, two stitches to the jaw, broken collarbone, two broken ribs on the right, broken toes on the right foot, sprained ankle on the left." More tears fell as she went on and on. I could feel everything as she continued to list things. It all hurt.

"Leah…" She walked forward and went to take my hand but I moved it.

"Please, don't," I whimpered. I was so tired, so hurt, and so… done. "Please… Just… Just leave me alone…" I closed my eyes again to hide from her frown. I was mad at her and I would get over it eventually, just not yet.

I kept my eyes closed as she said in a soft voice, "I am truly sorry… So is Cisco…"

It wasn't long before I fell back into a dreamless sleep.

Time Skip

When I opened my eyes again, I turned my head to see Barry was perched in a chair beside my bed with a book in hand. He was reading slowly, actually reading for entertainment for once. He looked so relaxed and I calmed down just a bit. He finally turned his head, somehow knowing that I was watching, and his eyes went wide when his met mine. He sat up and put the book down on the table beside me before scooting up to my bed.

"Hey," he said in a soothing voice, "How's our Leah doing?"

 _Our_ Leah…

"I'm in pain…" My voice made it obvious that I didn't mean physically.

He frowned as he reached out and gently took my hand. "We're all here for you, Leah. Whether you like it or not, you have shoulders to cry on." He smiled at me, trying to lighten the mood, "Besides, some of us are really good huggers."

I managed a small smile but just barely. He could be such a sweetheart sometimes.

"I'd take you up on that if I could actually hug back…" I told him.

He shrugged. "We'll save it for when you can then."

I just nodded.

There was a short pause before someone in the doorway cleared their throat. I quickly looked over, half expecting and half hoping that it was Cisco. I was just slightly disappointed to see Wells, sitting in his wheelchair instead.

Barry coughed, patted my hand, and stood up, "I'm going to go. See you later, Leah." He kissed the top of my head quickly, painfully reminding me of Ronnie before stepping out of the room.

Wells stayed by the doorway a bit longer, looking at me expectedly. I sighed and rolled my eyes, looking away from him. _Of course, he came to lecture me._

"I know," I whispered. "I shouldn't have told Cisco what I did… I shouldn't have yelled at Caitlin either… I shouldn't have taken my anger out on them…."

I heard him give a slight chuckled before admitting, "That is not what I was going to say at all." The sound of his wheelchair echoed as he wheeled over to the side of my bed, before he added, "I was going to say that it's about time you did."

Surprised, I turned my head to look at him. "What?"

"You've been holding it in for so long, I wasn't sure how you were even standing," he explained and I avoided his intelligent stare again. "Leah, if you didn't take it out on them, you were bound to take it out on Barry, or me, or someone else. You're only human after all. They know that… Cisco is hurt, but he knows you're hurting… Caitlin is just glad you're living. We all are. You gave us quite the fright, kiddo."

Tears poured again and I was getting really frustrated with all this crying. The one thing that was bothering me that I hadn't mentioned finally slipped out, "I don't hate him…"

 _"_ _I HATE YOU!"_ The look on Cisco's face when I said that will haunt me for the rest of my days. Especially if we are no longer friends. Not that I would blame him if we weren't…

"Of course you don't," Wells smiled understandingly and knowingly. "You love him."

I wasn't at all surprised he knew. I considered this man- my boss, my friend- to be the smartest man alive. Flash may be the fastest but Wells had the smartest mind.

I nodded in agreement as I stared up at the ceiling. "Yeah… I know I do."

Time Skip

I didn't even have to look at the door to know when he walked in. I could hear his footsteps walk down the hall as he headed to my room. It was silent when he first walked in, nothing but the heart monitor as it had come back on earlier. I waited a few seconds, preparing myself for when he starts yelling and screaming. Part of me wanted him to yell at me because I deserved it; I was such a crap friend. The other part was scared though… If he was angry, would he stop being my best friend? Forever?

I finally turned my head to look at him. His chocolate colored eyes stared right back, already dripping with tears. His broken arm was in a sling and there were many stitches on his head like mine. His sadness completely mirrored my own and it broke my heart to see my best friend, my other half in tears because of me.

I immediately began crying, not caring that it was the hundredth time that I had cried that day if it was even the same day, I wasn't sure anymore. I just cried and shook my head, my eyes never leaving his and thanking God that he was still alive; remembering how limp he was against the car door.

"I-I don't hate you… I don't hate you… I don't…" I couldn't catch my breath through all the sobs and my ribs stung immensely because of it. The lights flickered again and my heart monitor shut off. I didn't care about the damn broken technology anymore, I wanted my best friend to know I didn't hate him. I had to make him understand. "I-I love you, please, don't hate me… I hate me… I don't hate you, Cisco, I can't…"

He was at my bedside in two seconds, carefully sitting himself on the edge as he leaned over me to lay his forehead on mine. He couldn't hug me with his broken arm, and he'd probably crush one of my broken ribs if he tried, so he rested his forehead against mine and cried with me.

"I'm so sorry…" I whimpered through my sobs that continued to shake my body. The pain was agony but didn't hurt nearly as much as seeing Cisco crying. "I love you, you're my best f-friend and I DON'T hate you, okay? I don't. You have to believe me."

His hand reached up and stroked my cheek softly. His hand was so warm, I reached up and grabbed his hand with mine, holding it to my face and leaning into his touch. He spoke softly in Spanish and although I suck at Spanish, I could tell he was trying to soothe me because his voice alone was starting to control the sobs. I only caught certain words like "mi amor" and "esta bien" and they sounded quite familiar, but I could barely hear past my sobs and I was shaking uncontrollably that it was too hard to focus on anything else.

"Te quiero mucho, mi amor," he whispered before leaning forward. It didn't register in my mind what he was doing until our lips met.

He kissed me fully on the mouth softly, almost as if he was afraid his kiss was going to break another bone in my body. But as soon as his lips touched mine, I had forgotten everything else. The car accident, the hospital bed, the pain… None of it happened, none of it was there. Just his soft lips. He tasted sweet like candy, just as I had always assumed he would. It was like candy on Halloween, not surprising because he always had a very large sweet tooth.

His lips were so warm and he was being ever so gentle as I finally gained enough sense to kiss back. His eyelashes were long and they brushed against and tickled my cheeks. The lights flickered even more as his hand came up to gently hold my head as he carefully deepened the kiss. Our lips moved perfectly in sync.

And just before my eyes fluttered shut, the lights flickered one last time before going completely out.


	7. My Metahuman Best Friend

Cisco

Unfortunately, my arm healed faster than Leah's ribs and collarbone. For the first two weeks, she continued to get pissed off when she found it difficult for her to do things on her own. The first time she started to get angry, Caitlin and I were discussing how the electricity was acting up in certain rooms while Leah was in the shower in the room next to us. Leah had been staying at STAR Labs since the accident so Caitlin could keep a close eye on her. I figured Caitlin could keep an eye on her outside of the Labs, but I didn't question it.

We heard a clatter and Leah hiss before it went silent again.

"Leah, are you alright?" Caitlin called out as we listened closely.

There was a sigh and more commotion before Leah replied, "Caitlin…" she whimpered, "I think I need help."

Caitlin quickly handed me her clipboard with a "hold on" before disappearing into the bathroom. I went back to observing Caitlin's data on the recent problems with our machines and lights, slightly concerned about Leah, but knowing there wasn't anything I could do. This was more of a girl's thing, right?

 _Besides, I've already kissed her, I'm sure she'd kill me if I walked in on her in the shower._

I set the clipboard down on the table in front of me and rubbed the bridge of my nose between my thumb and pointer finger as my face flushed painfully. Was I embarrassed to kiss her? No way. Was I embarrassed to say it was because I really wanted to kiss her even though I haven't even told her how I felt yet? Totally. What was worse was that neither of us were talking about it. I wasn't even sure how I would bring it up:

 _"So, about that kiss?" Wink at her… Give a sly smile… She would like that, wouldn't she?_

Only problem was- I knew Leah, I knew her VERY well except I didn't know her romantically. I wasn't sure what she liked or didn't like and whether she was more into the cheesy romance or the "I'm-Super-Relaxed-Around-You" kind of relationship. I didn't even like to use that word. For all I knew, she only saw me as a friend. Or worse, she saw me as a brother…

With my eyes closed, I could still feel her lips on mine. It may have been fourteen days ago, but I would never forget that kiss. It was soft and sweet, like how I pictured our first kiss, not that the setting or situation was how I planned it, though… But she had kissed me back and it wasn't a short kiss. She tasted like sunshine, like the sun kissed her lips. She did kiss back…

I threw my head down on the desk and sighed. If I was smart and nothing short of brave, I would've asked her about it right after it happened. But instead, we had sat in silence, threading our fingers together and just listening to our uneven breathing. She had left me completely breathless, but by time I removed my forehead from hers, she was already half-asleep again. She gave me room to lay down beside her and I held her hand with my good one while she slept. I was planning on never leaving until she kicked me out, but then Caitlin had come back in to check her over again and told me I was in the way. I reluctantly climbed off the bed and left. It wasn't till I went to bed that night that I had fully realized what had happened and felt squeamish.

 _What if she didn't like it?_

 _What if she didn't want me to kiss her?_

 _She was on some strong medicine… What if she doesn't even remember?_

So, the next day, we didn't talk about that. And the next day, we still didn't speak of it. Four days later, it still went untouched. Ten days later and I still blushed and looked away every time she bit her bottom lip. Now, fourteen days later and I'm still worried about it and hanging my head for not talking about it as soon as it happened.

"Do you have a headache?" I knew it was Wells voice before I even lifted my head. I hadn't even heard him move to be right beside me. He looked at me and it wasn't concern on his face, it was knowledge. He knew I didn't have a headache. Still, he added, "I'm sure Caitlin has medicine for a migraine."

"I-I'm fine," I lied, sitting up straight again and reaching for the clipboard. I pretended to be looking over it, knowing he was watching me- practically observing me.

"Cisco," I glanced at him from the corner of my eye but was afraid to fully look at him. That man was TOO smart, I was sure he could see right through me. "What happened between you and Leah?"

Figuring out I was right frightened me for some reason. How could he possibly know? Does he know I ruined things with her? Was he judging me for not being able to maintain a healthy relationship with anyone?! I mean, my family was a whole other story, obviously, but I was positive I had somehow managed to screw things up with Leah as well.

"We're fine," I lied again. "Why would you ask that?" My voice slowly rose higher in higher out of panic. "It's not like I did anything wrong, right? I mean, I was just worried about her! She was in so much pain and she wouldn't stop crying and I couldn't do anything to help, but she still looked amazing and we were sitting so close, so YES, I kissed her- is it really that big of a deal?!" I was out of breath after finishing my little rant, feeling a little better for getting it off my chest until I looked over at my boss. Right then, I immediately regretted it. He didn't even know, it was written all over his face.

"Oh…" He chuckled, "I was going to ask what happened in the car accident, since Leah won't talk about it, and Barry didn't see any other car around when he got there, but…" He took his glasses off, wiping the frames to make them clearer as he glanced up at me. Teasingly, he asked, "SO, you kissed her?"

"No."

"You just said you did."

"N-no, I didn't…"

"Why did you do it, Cisco?" But his smile widen at his question. He already knew why I had done it. Again, WAY TOO smart.

I began to laugh nervously, "Ha ha, ha ha ha, ha ha ha ha," and to make things worse, Caitlin and Leah walked into the room during my hysterical giggles. At the sight of Leah, my face flushed and I turned to Wells, laughing even louder and harder, unsure of why I couldn't stop and wishing the floor would just swallow me up whole and help me disappear.

Caitlin looked at Wells, seemingly concerned, as Leah just watched me. Her eyebrows were raised almost all the way up her forehead as I continued to laugh.

"What'd you do to him?" Caitlin asked Wells.

Leah answered with, "He broke Cisco."

Knowing I couldn't stop and feeling completely embarrassed, I turned on my heel and quickly headed out of the room. I could hear them talking behind me but honestly, I didn't want to know what they were saying.

Time Skip

Three weeks after the incident and Caitlin was being to act strange. I understood why she was nervous; we were going behind Barry, Wells, and Leah's back to find Ronnie. Caitlin had convinced me not long after the accident that she wanted to keep looking for Ronnie and she wanted to help him. I was completely against it- the guy wasn't really Ronnie, our Ronnie would never act like that- but then she told me it would make Leah happy. That was such a low blow.

But even so, she was also acting strange around me.

Sitting with her in the lab, I finally turned my office chair so that I could look at her. Her eyes went wide and she glanced at me a few times from across the room, looking very nervous. I crossed my arms over my chest and that's when she caved in.

With a sigh, she asked, "What? Why are you watching me?"

"You're hiding something," I quickly accused her.

"I am not."

"Caitlin, I started working here three years ago. I've known you long enough to know that you are. What is it?"

She looked away, tugging lightly at the bottom of her red hair. She bit her lip and I couldn't help but think about how Leah does that when she's nervous too. She finally turned at me, her eyes showed exactly how upset she was.

"I'm not sure how to tell you," she admitted.

"I'm your friend, I'd understand anything you had to tell me," I assured her. However, she continued to look antsy and kept avoiding my eyes. I leaned forward in my chair, "Caitlin, what aren't you telling me?"

"I-I ran some test on Leah…" she said in a quiet voice, I wouldn't have heard her if it hadn't been completely silent in the room.

I was confused to where her "confess" was going. "I already know that. You did test on me, too, to check my arm and all… Wait. What's wrong with Leah? Is it her ribs? Her foot?" My mind immediately thought up of all the things that could be wrong with her.

They were all logical and medical.

She shook her head, "Not… THOSE kind of test…"

I shook my head, my eyebrows still raised slightly up my forehead. "I don't understand what you're trying to say."

She took a deep breath, avoiding my eyes still, and let it out in a sigh. She finally turned to me, looking serious and I knew then that whatever she had to say was not funny. She wasn't about to prank me or pull a lame pun- not that I was expect her to, Leah was better at puns and movie references than she was. But whatever she had to say was serious, just like the look in her eyes.

I swallowed the lump in my throat, feeling a little worried and not sure I wanted to know anymore. I asked anyways, "Caitlin… What did you find out about Leah?"

Caitlin sighed again, her face relaxing but still looking slightly concerned.

"Cisco, I think she's a metahuman."


	8. To Mourn Someone

Leah

Okay, I am not stupid.

I'm really not! I admit, I may be slow and possibly oblivious (especially when it comes to Cisco, MY OWN BEST FRIEND), but I've worked way too hard in life to be considered stupid. I also take pride in knowing my friends well, so it wasn't hard to tell that Cisco and Caitlin were hiding something from me.

My paranoid mind quickly went to that kiss… Had Cisco talked to Caitlin about it before I had? Did he tell her he didn't like it? Did he tell her he wished he hadn't done it? _No._ I'm oblivious, not stupid. I knew Cisco enough to know he wouldn't do that, he wouldn't talk to Caitlin about it before he talked to me. Even if he didn't like it…

Okay, that idea is ruled out. Perhaps it was about my collarbone? It wasn't healing properly, I knew that much. It had been almost a month since the accident, it should be almost back to normal, but I still had nights where it swelled like crazy and mornings where I couldn't sit up on my own because of the pain. Eventually, Caitlin convinced me to move in with her. I felt like such a bother but she told me she was tired of having me stay at STAR Labs, and that it would just be easier if she could watch over me from her place.

With the help of Barry, it didn't take long to get all my things to her place and I took the bedroom upstairs. The first few nights went well, we spent our nights watching reruns of soap operas, and eating pasta and loads of pizza. Neither of us were very good cooks though, so of course everything was store bought and thrown in the microwave. I did the mistake of keeping my bedroom door cracked open on the first night and I woke up to her cat's tail hitting me in the face. He was a small tabby cat with orange and brown spots; his name was Isaac after Isaac Newton. I never really understood why though, he wasn't that smart of a cat. He spent a lot of time not paying attention to where he was walking and smacking into things, or trying to jump distances he knows he won't make and falling on the ground. He also always managed to get into the bathroom when I take a shower and then complained when he got wet from the showerhead. _Weird cat_.

It didn't take long for my demeanor of the house to change. I had almost forgot I was living where Ronnie use to live until I found his sweatshirt in one of my laundry hampers one day. _Caitlin must've accidentally added it to my clothes…_ And I had planned on giving it back that day, but ended up sleeping in it that night.

The scent of him still lingered on the fabric and as I laid in bed alone, I didn't even try to stop the tears from coming. I had just started accepting his death and being okay with living life, knowing that he would want me to continue working hard and enjoying the good moments… He was no longer dead. I had seen him with my own eyes. Cisco and I had both seen him in the parking lot. He was Ronnie. He wasn't Ronnie. He was there. But he wasn't, it wasn't him, it wasn't OUR Ronnie.

But I wanted it to be our Ronnie, I wanted it to be my brother so bad…

And I couldn't stop my body from shaking along with the sobs that escaped. To say my heart hurt would be an understatement. My chest burned and I felt like my lungs were going to collapse as I gasped, trying to receive some oxygen when the sobbing wouldn't allow it. I still couldn't stop crying though, and part of me was so grateful that my ribs were no longer broken.

And I had never felt so alone. His shirt smelled like him but there was no warmth from it, if anything, it was cold and lifeless. The blanket wasn't warming me, it was reminding me of how it felt to be held, when no one's arms were there. The pillow was comfy, but it didn't have a rhythmic beating that would lull me to sleep. The bed was large and had enough room for two and yet, here I was without Cisco…

 _Huh?_ How did I manage to start crying about Ronnie and then cry about Cisco? _Because you miss both of them…_ And it was true. I didn't care about whether or not the kiss did or did not happen anymore: what about the movie nights? The jokes? His laugh? I missed the nights where we would sleep on the couch and hold each other, the only sound is the voices from the movie that we forgot to turn off, our soft breathing, and the sound of his heart as I would press my ear against his chest.

I knew I couldn't have Ronnie back. I had accepted it the moment I woke up in the hospital bed. It wasn't him, just like Cisco had said, and he wasn't coming back. He didn't want to come back. However, I wanted Cisco. Cisco was here, Cisco was within reach, I could easily call him and have him come over whenever I wanted… that is, if he would ever want to come over. But why would he? After that kiss…

I could still feel it on my lips. My heart still hammered in my chest at the thought of it. But then it would remind me that I'm lonely and only cause the tears to fall faster. I was lonely without him, he was my best friend. And I was crazy about him.

I don't need him. I'm an independent woman. But that doesn't mean I don't want him.

I didn't even hear the doorbell ring as I continued to cry. The lights flickered slightly.


	9. Stupid Pillow

Cisco

I don't remember exactly what it was that had brought me to stand at her door. I was lying in bed, lights turned off and staring at the ceiling just waiting for sleep to reach out and consume me. My mind had other plans. It forced me to think of Leah (as it usually does), all the good moments and bad. And I did doze off only slightly as I replayed certain moments in my mind:

The day I met her, she wore a faded blue blouse, a black skirt, and a pair of black flats. Her hair was in a high ponytail, and if I were to judge her by her looks (which I did), I would've assumed she was nothing like me. Ironic, right? _"Hi, I'm Leah Raymond!"_

When I first found that she understood my movie references. _"Oh! I love the Princess Bride!"_

When she first laughed at one of my jokes, I could've sworn I had almost choked on my heart as it tried to leave my chest.

The time we first hung out outside of work. She giggled a lot that day, she was so happy. _"Cisco, Ronnie and Caitlin are throwing a barbeque later, you should come!"_

The day I realized I like her? Jitters. She was trying to choose a pastry. _"Cake pop or cinnamon roll?"_ Bent over, looking at the choices. I told her she should just get both and her face lit up like I had just told her the meaning of life. _"This is why you're my best friend."_ That's what she told me. But I was standing there, realizing how screwed I was, because I was falling for those blue eyes and that smile so hard, and trying to figure out if and how I should tell Ronnie.

I never did.

The time Caitlin told us that we should just date each other when Cait and Ronnie wanted to go on a group date but neither Leah nor I were seeing anyone. I was secretly waiting for her. Ronnie didn't seem too pleased with the idea. Caitlin was grinning from ear to ear as if she had just discovered something new. She did. I knew she knew at that moment. I don't know if she ever told Ronnie. _"Cait, we're just friends!"_ That one did hurt a little.

And so I sat back and admired her from afar. She was definitely the longest crush I've ever had. I liked her for a good year, and then the particle accelerator exploded…

It was hard not to see her. Not to know how she was doing. Hard not to talk to her every morning like we usually did. As I laid there in bed, looking up at the ceiling that traced shadows from the cars that drove by the window, it hit me then. I mean, I think I've known for a while, I just wasn't sure how to put it into words. She was my best friend's twin sister. My best friend. My co-worker. Someone I see every single day, so why hadn't I known it sooner?

Do I have to say it? Should I say it? Get it off my chest. Go for it.

"I'm in love with her."

My voice echoed in the silence and I flinched out of habit, hoping no one heard me even though no one lives with me. I was hoping it would help relieve the tension in me, but it didn't. Of course it didn't. I didn't tell anyone, just the atmosphere, which probably just soaked up my words and let them disappear. I bit my lip, though. I wasn't sure I wanted to tell anyone. I didn't know what I wanted.

But then I did know what I wanted, who I wanted to see. I wasn't going to tell her, I didn't want to scare her. I wasn't going to burden her. She was still dealing with the pain of losing Ronnie again. Even if she wasn't showing it, I knew she was. I knew her.

I hated not telling her that Cait and I were still looking for him. We wanted to help him, but Caitlin wasn't quite sure we should tell her yet. She wanted to wait until Leah was fully healed. I knew why; as soon as Leah could, she would want to help. Neither Caitlin nor I were going to let her get herself in worse condition. I also kind of wanted to surprise her. Long story short; the issue is the explosion had caused Ronnie to collide with Professor Stein, and now there were two people in one body. We were trying to bring Ronnie back to the labs and figure out how to separate them. The struggle is real.

Doesn't matter at the moment; I wanted to see her regardless of everything. I _f she asked me about the kiss?_ I wasn't sure what I would say. Do I tell her it was spur of the moment? Do I tell her I love her? _Worry about that if it happens._

I threw a jacket on, not minding that I was just in sweats and a t-shirt. How many times had she seen me in casual wear? Never seemed to bother her before… I don't think.

So many thoughts were running through my head as I was driving down the road I usually take to Caitlin's house. She moved in with Cait… What if Caitlin doesn't let me in? It is kind of suspicious that I'm stopping by around midnight. But she can't keep me from Leah! Right? I just wanted to see her. What would I say? No idea. Doesn't matter. I'm not thinking at the moment. Just listening to the sound of the windshield wipers rescuing my car from the pounding rain, and the beating sound of my heart in my ears.

And then I'm at the front door, and I ring the doorbell. My hair is just a little damp from the rain and my hands are stuffed in my pockets because they're freezing. I count how many breaths I take, trying to relax. I just want to see her. I make it to ten breaths when Cait opens the door. She's dressed in sweats also, she looks like she was getting ready to go to bed. Her eyes are wide. She's surprised that I am here. So am I.

"Cisco?" Her voice trails off, not sure whether to question why I'm here or why I didn't come sooner.

"Is Leah here?" _Of course she is. She lives here._

Her expression reciprocates my thoughts exactly. "Yeah, she's been in her room for a while. She might be asleep."

"T-that's okay," I stutter. Is it okay? She probably thinks it's creepy that I want to see Leah, even if she's asleep. I frankly don't care right now. "I just want to see her."

I don't know if it's because of the water that fills the corners of my eyes or just how desperate I look in general, but she lets me in. "Upstairs, the first door on the right. If she's asleep, PLEASE don't scare her." I give a quick nod before bounding up the steps, two at a time. And then I'm at her door, that's when I hesitate.

 _Really? You've gotten this far…_ And it all comes back. What if she does ask me about the kiss? What if she's expecting me to confess my feelings? What if she doesn't want to hear that I like her? What if the kiss really was just a spur of the moment for her?

I bite my lip, the one she had kissed about a month ago, and I hesitate at that door. Until I hear her on the other side of the wood. She doesn't cry around me. Actually, she doesn't cry around anyone. I use to think it was because she's strong- don't get me wrong, she is- but it's one of her weaknesses. She hates to cry in front of people. She thinks it makes her weak.

And I hate to hear it. On the other side of the door, I can hear the sobs that she produces and I already have tears running down my cheeks. Her voice isn't loud, but it sounds weak, as if she has been crying for hours. And I just can't accept that.

I quickly open the door, leaving the doubt behind, forgetting about it completely. She doesn't even flinch, barely even notices. Her back is to me, her whole body shaking with her sobs. Her face is hidden in her pillow, her brown hair splayed out around her. It's the way that she's clutching onto the other lifeless pillow that kills me the most.

I don't think at this moment, I just do. I throw my jacket and shoes off, mindful that I don't want to get her bed wet, and I crawl under the covers with her. Her back is to me still, she hasn't even glanced my way, and part of me wants to yell, "WHAT IF I WAS A MURDERER?" But I know it's only because I feel helpless. She's crying and there's not much I can do.

I can only hold her and hope it calms her down.

So, I quickly take the pillow out of her arms and chuck it across the room. _Stupid pillow, don't steal my spot._ This catches her attention. She doesn't ease up on the crying as she turns in my direction. I don't wait to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her to me. I manage to tuck my arm under her head to use as a pillow and I rest my chin on top of her, breathing her in. She's stiff at first, probably in shock, and still shaking from the tears. I find a small area on her lower back that her shirt forgot to cover and I rest my thumb there, slowly drawing circles on her skin to soothe her. It's not until then that I notice how baggy the shirt is. Only for a split second am I concerned about why she's wearing a guy's shirt that's not mine, but then I recognize it.

It's Ronnie's shirt.

Then she moves, tucking her head in the crook of my neck, nuzzling her nose against my throat. And she cries. She sobs. The tears that run down her nose run down my skin and soaks the collar of my shirt. I don't move or complain. Part of me is relieved, actually; she could've yelled at me and thrown me out for barging in without asking. Grabbing her and holding her without warning. Throwing her cuddle pillow across the room… _Sorry, pillow._ She wraps an arm around me and clutches my shirt in her fist. Her cries are slowly dying down. Okay, I can't lie. _I'm not really that sorry about throwing you, pillow._

Because if anything, I needed this too. I needed to hold her and know that she's okay. I needed to see her. I needed to hear her breathing, feel her chest move against mine to know that oxygen was flowing in those lungs, and that she was alive. She wasn't in any danger to begin with, except maybe drowning in her own tears. I still needed to know though.

I managed to cry silently with her. Burying my face in her hair, knowing she could feel it against her scalp and not caring. I've cried in front of her before and she comforted me. Now I was here to comfort her like I always will be. Always, until she asks me to leave.

"Cisco," she snaps me out of my thoughts with her tiny voice. It's hoarse from crying so much and it sounds painful. I continue to hold her, bringing my hand up to run my fingers through her hair. She stops as though she forgot what she was going to say for a second. She leans her head in closer, nuzzling her nose against my neck again. I can't help it; my lips curl just a bit at the corners. "Cisco…" she hesitates again, a little longer this time. She takes a few deep breaths as if she's trying to stop the tears.

I don't want her to. I hate to see her cry, but I know she needs this. "Don't hold it in, mi amor," I whisper softly in her ear. I always use Spanish to show affection and it helps, I know she doesn't know much of it. "Go ahead and cry. You need it."

The next sound I hear from her is a strangled sob. She's still trying to hold it in. I feel her hold her breath as if that will help and I squeeze her tighter.

"Don't do that," my voice is still a whisper, but its urgent now and demanding.

"It hurts," she manages to choke out, letting a few sobs out as she does. She takes another deep breath and I realize she's trying to talk. I run my fingers through her hair again, hoping it'll encourage her. "I… I miss him… I miss him so much…" And then she lets go of her control again. Her sobs are loud and heartbreaking. I cry harder when she cries, "It should've been me! It should've happened to me!"

"No," it came out as a growl that I didn't intend. I tilted her head up and pressed my forehead against hers. Our noses were touching, my lips close enough to hers that I could feel her breath against them. Now wasn't the time to kiss her though. We both had tears streaking down to our chins, and we were both shaking from the effort it took to let all the crying out. "Don't talk like that. Don't say it. I can't…" I shook my head, careful not to move hers with mine. I ran my hand along her hair to tuck it behind her ear. Her eyes closed at my touch and she was taking deep breaths, almost as if she was breathing every inch of me into her. "Not you too, Leah… I can't lose… Not you…" I couldn't even get all the words out.

It wasn't long before she had my head tucked under her chin and one of her hands in my hair, the other was wrapped around me. I pressed my nose into her collarbone and breathed her in again. Lavender. Vanilla. Leah. My fingers were sprawled along her upper back, pressing her as close to me as I could get.

It took some time before all the crying died down. Both of us were somehow able to catch our breaths in no time and the only sound in the room was our breathing matching one another. Slow and soft, we took in oxygen like we were breathing for the first time. My tight grip finally loosened as I relaxed in her arms, but I didn't come close to letting go. I planned on never leaving, if she would let me stay. With my head against her chest, I could hear how her heart was still rapidly beating. Her breathing was finally even though and she was no longer clawing my scalp, her shoulders finally eased up and she seemed to melt back into the mattress.

I almost breathed out a sigh in relief as she whispered, "Stay?"

I couldn't stop the smile that formed on my lips. "Gladly."

I lifted my head to look her in the eyes. There was still sorrow in her eyes and they were red and puffy around the edges. The ocean still swam around her pupils, though. I lifted a hand to wipe the trail of tears off her skin with my thumb. It was such a slow, intimate moment and I couldn't help but notice how her lips parted just slightly. _No kissing this time._ I wouldn't have minded kissing her in the moment, but I didn't need it. Her arms were already around me, that's all I was looking for. Besides, things were still confusing after the first kiss.

It wasn't going to be discussed that night, though. I knew that as soon as she rested her head on my chest when I laid on my back. I wrapped an arm around her and our free hands intertwined together on top of my stomach. Her fingers fit perfectly in mine. We'd talk about the kiss later.

For now, I stared up at the ceiling once again to watch the shadows while the girl I was in love with slept at my side.


	10. Professor Stein

Leah

We were quiet the next morning. It was a little awkward with the words that we were saying hanging in the air around us, but neither of us wanted to try and catch them. We both were lying in bed longer than we usually do. I was stalling; I really didn't want to get up. He was warm, his arms still around me, and I was content, feeling happy even with the trace of Ronnie's smell on the shirt I was wearing. It mostly smelled of Cisco now. The pillow we were sharing, the large blue comforter wrapped around both of us. My head was still lying on his chest, our hands still intertwined. The sun seeping through the window, throwing a ray of light over our legs. The only sound was the beating of his heart and the birds chirping outside the window.

Until his phone vibrated on the nightstand next to his head. He had to let go of my hand to reach up and grab it. I briefly saw that it was a text from Barry. I figured they were looking for us to come into work by the unhappy sigh that Cisco gave. For a second, I pressed myself closer to him, hiding my face at his neck. He always told me I was a snuggler with the way I nuzzle into him, now I see why. I couldn't help but smile just slightly as he wrapped his other arm around me and gave me a tight squeeze. I was trying so hard to speak without words: _"We should stay here, Cisco. Let's stay here and not go to work. Let's never leave."_ I love being like this with him. I love him.

I felt my cheeks burn at the thought. I am crazy. Crazy for my best friend. Shit.

I could feel him slowly loosening his grip on me and I held back a sigh. I knew we couldn't stay there all morning. That wouldn't be allowed. That's not how life works.

He whined just a little before throwing an arm over his face to shield his eyes. _Pretend we didn't see it and go back to sleep._ I giggled just a little at the sight, my voice still a mess from last night. He removed his arm and smiled at me. And for another minute or so, he just looked at me. Not like he was judging me or expecting me to say anything, but as though he were actually seeing me for the first time. As if he liked what he saw.

My face flushed more and I quickly got up and made my way to the bathroom so he couldn't see. I brushed my teeth and combed my hair, put on a little bit of makeup as well, before handing the bathroom over to Cisco. While he disappeared behind the door, I quickly got changed. I was going to settle with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt like I had been doing recently, but something made me reach for the black skirt I hadn't seen in a while. I wore it with a nice button-up white blouse and pulled my hair up just halfway to keep it out of my face. Cisco came out of the bathroom not long after that and quickly looked me up and down. My cheeks turned red again and I finally knew what it felt like to have butterflies in my stomach when the corners of his mouth tugged a little upwards. _Ah, that's why I grabbed the skirt._ It had been the one I wore the day we first met. And Cisco's silent compliments were some of my favorites.

He nodded his head towards the door and I quickly headed out, making sure to hide the satisfied smile forming on my face. He drove this time and I watched the buildings go by out the window. Everything was still wet from last night's rain shower.

He held the door open for me when we got to STAR Labs and I gave him a quick "thank you." He was still silent, though, and I was sort of starting to worry. Was last night too much? We're only friends, maybe letting him see me cry was going way too far. In my defense, he came into my room! Then again, I didn't question it or throw him out. I was too relieved that he was there because that's what I had wanted. It was like he heard me somehow.

We were in and out of the elevator quickly and still quietly. I was just about to open my mouth and ask if I did something wrong, when he turned around to face me. He opened his mouth. Then shut it again, just as I had done. His brows furrowed deeply and he looked confused and lost. He bit his bottom lip.

I sighed, "We don't have to talk about it…" I stared down at our feet; I was in heels and he was in sneakers. "We can pretend it didn't happen."

"But it did happen."

Leaving me to stand there, confused as ever, he turned around and left.

Red cheeks. Again.

 _It is way too early for all of this,_ I thought to myself.

Shrugging it off, I headed into the room where everyone was standing. Caitlin sat a desk with her head in her hands, she looked so exhausted. Wells sat in his wheelchair, rubbing his chin and staring at a computer screen as if he was trying to discover the meaning of life. Cisco and Barry were in the middle of the room, standing awfully close and whispering out loud and frantically.

"I didn't know you were going to bring her, too!"

"Why wouldn't I? She works here!"

"Yeah, but I texted you about… IT. What if she gets upset? You know what she can do!"

"No, WE don't know what she can do, yet. She doesn't even know."

I came to the conclusion that they were talking about me, considering I was the only one who wasn't in the room, or so they thought. All four of them looked up at the sound of my voice and reacted in different ways: Caitlin jumped out of her seat as if she had been caught stealing something. Barry and Cisco flinched, Barry backed away and Cisco took a step forward. Wells just looked at me, taking his glasses off and placing the edge of it on his lip as though he was studying me. What? Did I do something wrong?

"Hey…" Cisco hesitated as he walked up to me. He looked at the others, but when they didn't say anything, he shrugged and turned back to me. "We kind of have a visitor… DON'T freak out, okay?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I believe they are referring to me."

My breath hitched at the sound of his voice. If I hadn't known that voice by heart, then I would have to turn to see who it was. But I know that voice. It makes my chest ache to hear it and know it doesn't belong to the person it pretends to be.

My head turns to face my twin as he comes from the next room, dressed in a nice shirt and khakis, his hair cut and he's clean so he no longer looks homeless. Looked like Ronnie, for sure. Not Ronnie, though, only his look alike. He looked straight at me and for a second, I saw a flash of recognition in his eyes.

"Hello, Leah," he said. The tone was too stiff, too unfamiliar. Not Ronnie.

I straightened up, lifting my chin to show the courage I didn't have with facing my twin's imposter. "How do you know my name?"

"Ronnie has told me."

That part took me by surprise. I blinked a few times. "Ronnie has… What?" I turned to the four of my teammates who were watching us with suspense.

Caitlin stepped forward to stand in between me and wanna-be Ronnie. She looked guilty. "Um… You see, Ronnie is… Well, he's in there." She pointed to "Ronnie's" head.

"In there?" I asked, also pointing to wanna-be Ronnie.

"In me, yes," Ronnie's voice spoke. He held out my brother's hand to me. "Professor Stein. It's nice to finally meet the twin that Ronnie won't shut up about."

"Wait…" I ignored his hand, still staring up at him, pointing at him like I didn't understand what I was looking at. "Are you telling me…? M-my brother is in there with you? You can hear him?"

The professor sighed, rolling Ronnie's shoulders as though he was uncomfortable. "All the time. It's quite snug in here with the two of us."

I looked at Caitlin who was grinning from ear to ear. I managed to say what she was going to tell me before she could even open her mouth. "We can separate them…"

She giggled, a sound of pure joy and nodded her head, "We just need the right machine. One that can reciprocate the blast that caused this in the first place; therefore, causing it to- hopefully- have the opposite effect and then…" She smiled wide at me, "Then we can get Ronnie back."

"And I can have my body back," Professor Stein added.

Caitlin nodded, "Of course, that too."

"I can do that." I stated.

"We were hoping you would say that," Wells pointed out.

"Great," Cisco grinned. "Then let's go do what we do best."

"I'll run more test on Professor Stein for the time being." Caitlin explained.

Barry spoke up then, "And I'll keep an eye on the town, just in case."

Wells nodded, "And I'll help Barry."

Before I could walk away with Cisco, Caitlin stopped me. "I was actually wondering if you could help me out with Professor Stein first."

I wasn't sure I wanted to be around that man any longer. The fact that he looked like Ronnie killed me. The fact that he was the only one who could hear Ronnie was worse. It sent a tinge of jealousy through my heart. He was my twin, not his.

But I sighed, "Alright."

Time Skip

Caitlin had the professor sit on a hospital bed in a separate room. The same one Barry Allen slept on for nine months. The same one I was stuck with while healing. The same hospital bed that Cisco sat on the edge of and kissed me. I closed my eyes for a second and shook my head, trying to ignore the electric feeling in my lips as I remembered what it was like to kiss him. I shouldn't be stopping to think about that now. I had to focus on helping Ronnie.

I could feel the Professor watching me as I hooked the holter monitors for his ECG readings to his chest. He was observing me as if I was this strange new creature that he had never seen before.

"What?" I asked, finally snapping. There was just something… annoying about this guy.

He shook his head- Ronnie's head- frantically and looked away. He gave an awkward chuckle before explaining, "It's just odd. Ronnie never stops talking about you or Ms. Snow- he's even let me see some of his memories of you guys- and now I'm finally meeting you both…" He shakes his head again, "It's just fascinating how people can look different to other people…"

I had stop listening after he mentioned how he talked to Ronnie. Sure, it's annoying, but it's also very intriguing. And to know that he thinks of Caitlin and I made my heart swell. I swallowed the lump in my throat and focused on what he was saying again as he kept talking.

"I've always been fascinated by twins as well. The identical looks- even though you two are of different genders is…. Well, fascinating!"

I couldn't help but think that this man was geekier than Cisco. He seemed to be enthused by some of the small things that I hadn't even thought about. Then again, I was always use to the twins-thing, I had grown up with it after all. I caught my reflection in one of the computers nearby and spotted the similarity in the color of our hair, our noses, and especially the color and shape of our eyes. It made me smile just a little. I didn't notice it before when I thought Ronnie was dead, but I always had Ronnie with me. I thought it was a burden when I was first grieving, but now I knew it was a way to remember that he was always with me.

And now, he sat here on the hospital bed in front of me, only separated by the mind of another man. _Hang in there, Ronnie,_ I spoke in my mind, wishing he could hear me. _You'll be back soon. I'll make sure of it._

I took a deep breath before asking, "So, like… Can he see me? And like, hear me?"

The professor nodded once again. "He says he can."

I couldn't help it as my eyes watered. I stared into Ronnie's eyes, having a new sense of hope, knowing that he was there.

"Hi, Ronnie," I whispered as a tear slipped past my defense. It streaked down my cheek and disappeared in the corner of my mouth that was tugged up in a small smile.

Ronnie's faced smile back at me. "He says hi, too. And that he can't wait till you bring him back home." I giggled and wiped at my tears as the Professor asked, "You can do it, right? You can give us our bodies back?"

"I will spend night and day trying to figure out how until it works." I assured him. "You guys will have your bodies back if I have anything to say about it."

The professor grinned wide, showing off Ronnie's bright, white teeth. "Good… Ronnie says we have nothing to worry about if you're working on it."

I giggled, "He's got that right."

Time Skip

I stepped into the next room with Caitlin. He was bent over a computer again, looking very upset and concerned. I stepped next to her and peered at the screen to see what had her looking so stressed. Let's put it this way… If we can't separate Ronnie and Professor Stein, they could explode… And not just "boom", but "BOOM", and cause radiation everywhere from a two hundred-mile radius. Not just killing Professor Stein and Ronnie. No. Killing Caitlin, Wells, and Barry, Cisco, me, and everyone else in Central City. This was no longer a mission to save Ronnie and Professor Stein, this was a mission to save everyone.

I can't say I was nervous. That would be an understatement. Everything is on the line now.


	11. Bring Him Home

Leah

Later that day, Cisco and I went over the math and everything else needed before putting our heads together to design the machine. There was many times where I had my back to him and he would sigh. It wasn't until he threw the metal object that was in his hand and growled that I turned to see what he was doing. He sat in one of the office chairs, his back still to me, with his hands covering his face in frustration.

"Hey," I walked forward and placed both of my hands on his shoulders. I couldn't help but notice how broad they were, and he was definitely gaining muscle in that area. Shaking the thought away, I asked, "Why are you so frustrated?" I gently began rubbing his shoulders, trying to get rid of the tension he had there.

He sighed, "I don't know why I'm trying…" My hands stopped in surprise. I thought he would want to help Ronnie. Before I could accuse him, he added, "I'm the reason Ronnie is like this in the first place, what the hell makes me think I can SAVE HIM…?"

"Cisco," I placed my hand on the office chair and turned it where he was facing me, leaning over him so my eyes were leveled with his and he was forced to look at me. I placed both hands on either arm of the chair and remained standing like that, looking at him sternly. "That was not your fault," I told him. "Ronnie asked you to close that door. You were only doing what he told you to do."

"I could've reopened it… We had time…"

I shook my head. "If you had opened that door, EVERYONE would've died that night… You're not the bad guy here, you're the hero. You saved everyone. What happened to Ronnie wasn't because of you, it was because of the explosion. I know you. I know you would've opened the door if you could've, but you did the right thing by leaving it closed…"

He frowned, shaking his head. "How can you say that?" His voice was small and strangled like mine had been last night. "I did this to your brother."

I continued to shake my head, looking him dead in the eyes. His eyes were so brown, it reminded me of chocolate. I love chocolate.

"No, you didn't. But you are going to be the one to save him, because if anyone can build this machine, then it's you."

I smiled as soon as he laughed, the sound was so contagious and light. One of my favorite things about him. It was a good thing he was a goofball.

"You have too much faith in me, Lele."

"I don't think you have enough." I giggled, "So I have enough for the both of us."

He just smiled this time, staring into my eyes with his warm ones. For a second, he leaned forward and I thought for sure that he was going to kiss me. He stopped just as his forehead touched mine and I closed my eyes, surprised at how warm his touch was as his hands landed on the ones I had perched on the arms of his chair.

"Leah…" He whispered and it sent a new kind of rush down my spine. My eyebrows knitted together as he added, "You probably shouldn't stand that close…"

I leaned my head back and opened my eyes to look at him again, still confused. "Why? Do I smell or something?"

He nodded, "You smell- smell good, though."

"You've never had a probably with me standing this close before…"

"I've never kissed you until a month ago, either," he pointed out. The bluntness in his comment sent a rush of color to my cheeks and I had to blink a few times to think straight. "You keep standing that close and I might do it again."

The smirk on his face was growing and I couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. "Are you… Are you flirting with me?"

"Too soon?"

"Um…"

"Why is it working?"

"I think so." I was surprised at my honesty, but he had been honest with me also.

His cheeks were slightly turning pink, too. "Interesting… Never worked before…"

"Well, you've also never kissed me until a month ago, so…" My eyes went wide at my words. "Well, it worked before then, I just never showed it…" What was I saying?!

His eyes seemed to sparkle as though I just struck something intriguing. "So… You like it when I flirt with you?"

"Shut up." I quickly stood up and avoided his eyes. His eyes were evil- they made me say weird things- things I only keep to myself. Why was I being so honest now?!

"We have to talk about it, eventually."

"T-talk about what?" I reached over and began to work on the quantum splicer again, working on the last few bolts and screws. I had to focus on saving my brother, I didn't have time for this. We were so close, almost done. This could be it, I could have Ronnie back within the next 24 hours. The lights flickered briefly and I rolled my eyes. _I have to remember to fix those at some point._ I felt him walk closer to me. "Talk about the car accident? I know as much as everyone else about why it crashed…"

"No," his voice was close, his whole being was. I could feel his presence from behind me, the warmth radiating off of him. He was always warm. I remembered the way he had held me the night before and I had to shake my head to focus on the object in my hands. _What is this thing, again?_ Trying to focus on the topic at hand, I felt him poke at my side. God, I hated being ticklish, it was so unfair. "Leah, we have to talk about the kiss."

"T-the one that happened a month ago?" The computer screen next to me flickered slightly as Cisco poked at my side again. I covered my mouth with my hand to keep from squealing out loud. I could hear the soft chuckle he was trying to cover. So rude, so unfair.

"Yes, that one," I could hear the smile in his voice. He pinched my side again and I had to grab the table from falling over, letting a giggle slip.

"Cut that out," I turned to face him and tried to take a step aside, but I froze mid-step as he placed both hands on the desk behind me, trapping me in place. "W-what are you doing?" The lights flickered again and there was an odd buzzing noise from the computer.

"Talking," he said confidently. If I wasn't so nervous, I might've noticed the way he glanced at the computer. The computer was the last of my worries right now. "Can't we talk?"

"About this…? A-at work…?" I couldn't stop myself from stuttering. Why was he being so confident about this all of a sudden? It wasn't until he grinned that I realized he was teasing me and it was working. I pouted, "This is rude."

He shrugged, "I thought it was cute."

That's when he leaned in and placed a kiss to my cheek, real close to the corner of my mouth. There was a large pop behind us and I squealed, jumping forward and smacking right into his chest. His arms wrapped around me and he pulled me back as I looked up to see what had happened. One of the overhead lights on the ceiling had exploded and what was left of it was blinking on and off, doing its best to cling to what was left of its life.

"W-what was that?" I asked, breathlessly. I turned pink when I realized his arms were still around me. My hands were still placed on his upper arms and I couldn't help but notice the muscle in his biceps. _Quit it, Leah._ I looked up at him, hoping he didn't notice that I was staring at his arms to see him looking at the light in awe. "Cisco? What is it?" He chuckled as though he was happy to see the glass on the floor and the sparks fly from the broken lightbulb. "It's just a broken light, Cisco, not Jesus…"

He grinned before looking down at me and shaking his head, "No. It's so much more than just a broken light, Lele."

Before I could ask what the hell he was talking about, Caitlin's voice sounded over the speaker, "Cisco, Leah, we need you. Now." Her voice disappeared for a second before she added, "Bring the quantum splicer."

"That sounds urgent," he pointed out, finally removing his hands from my waist. As he stepped away, I couldn't help but feel the absence of his hands. He reached over and grabbed the quantum splicer, glancing at the light one last time with a chuckle before walking past me.

"It's. Just. A. Broken. Light."

"I'll tell you about it later!" He called out as he headed out the door.

I sighed and followed him out. Walking down the hallways that were so familiar. I knew this whole place like the back of my hand, I could easily walk these halls blind. I finally made it to the main lab room and saw Cisco, Caitlin, Barry, and Wells all bent down over a computer. Joe West stood on the other side of the desk, looking just as distressed as the others. I hadn't seen him since Barry was in that coma for nine months.

"What's going on?" I asked, walking up behind them.

"We're looking for Professor Stein?" Cisco explained, typing away furiously at the keyboard in front of him.

My heart sunk. "W-w… Looking? How did you lose him?!"

"He must've snuck out when none of us were looking," Joe said. "He took my gun…"

"He's about two hundred miles from the city… He's going to get rid of himself so he doesn't explode the town…" Wells mumbled, running a hand over his exhausted face.

"He can't!" I squealed, feeling my heart pound in my chest. I just got him back again and now a bullet to the head was going to permanently take him from me?! No way!

"That's why we need the quantum splicer now!" Caitlin explained, "Is it finished?" Cisco nodded and handed it to her. She crossed the room and threw on her jacket, holding the machine close to her as if it was a lifeline.

"Where do you think you're going?" Cisco asked as we watched her.

'With Barry to stop Professor Stein."

"No way, it's too dangerous." Barry said.

"Yeah, well, you don't know how to work the quantum splicer and I do." She told him, stepping towards the door, "So, I'm going with you."

"I want to go." I spoke up.

"I can only carry one of you," Barry pointed out. "I have super speed, not super strength."

I looked at Caitlin just as she turned to me. I would've fought and argued to have gone to see my brother, if it wasn't for that desperate look in her eyes. She wanted to see her fiancée just as badly. So, of course, I caved in and she could see it in my face. She smiled and I nodded to Barry to go ahead and take her.

"Bring him home," I softly said to them.

"I will," they simultaneously said before Barry lifted Caitlin off her feet. With a breeze rushing through my hair, they were gone just like that.

I heard Wells speak from behind me, "They'll bring him back, Leah."

I nodded. I felt Cisco's hand slip through mine and I squeezed it.

 _Here's to hoping._

Time Skip

We couldn't see anything. The only reliable source we had was the earpiece that Barry had and I used it to listen closely to what was going on. Barry and Caitlin had shouted a few times to get the Professor's attention and keep him from killing himself and Ronnie. I could faintly hear Caitlin explain the quantum splicer as she handed it over to him.

All my hope disappeared when I heard Barry tell us, "It's not working!"

I turned to look at Cisco, my eyes watering once again. We had failed. Part of me wanted to yell at him and tell him it was because he distracted me with all the tickling and kisses, but I knew that wasn't true. This wasn't his fault. The universe just simply didn't want me to have my twin in my life. And I hated the universe for that.

Cisco squeezed my hand as Wells spoke up, "Barry, you have to get out of there. Now."

I could hear Caitlin crying and trying to stay, but it didn't last too long. The sound of the explosion was gut-retching and it made me want to pull my hair out. So close… We were so close… Now both the Professor and my brother were dead. I couldn't stifle the sob that escaped me and I leaned forward and buried my head in Cisco's shoulder as he brought a hand up to hold my head, the other hand still squeezing mine. I didn't care that Wells was there. I was heartbroken. Again.

After a few minutes of listening to my quiet, muffled sobs, my boss spoke up again, 'Barry? Caitlin?" He waited a few more seconds and then tried again, a little more urgent, "Barry?" I stopped the crying to listen. _Please, tell me we didn't lose Barry and Cait, too._

I let go of the breath we were holding as Barry's voice echoed in the room. "We're good."

"Oh, God…" Caitlin said, "The explosion… We must be exposed to tons of radiation…"

"Wait a minute…" I felt Cisco's shoulder move as he leaned closer to the desk. I looked up to see him checking his computer, eyebrows knit up in confusion. "That's strange… The Geiger counter in Barry's suit, it's reading less than milliard."

"That's normal," I said, lifting my head off his shoulder to look at Wells in surprise.

"There's no radiation," Wells pointed out.

The minutes after that felt like eternity. I heard Barry and Caitlin head back to check on the after math. Caitlin called out Ronnie's name a few times. Then there was silence on Barry's end and I was itching to know what was going on, but I forced myself to stay quiet and wait.

"Ronnie, I think there's someone who would like to hear from you," Barry said. After that, there was this muffled noise, like static coming from Barry's earpiece.

I looked just as confused as Cisco until I heard his voice.

"Leah?"

It was Ronnie. My twin brother, Ronnie. It sounds crazy, but this time, his voice actually sounded like this. It was always his voice, but the tone and pitch was just right this time. When you have a twin, you tend to notice these little things. And as soon as I heard it, the waterworks started again, except this time I couldn't stop smiling.

"R-Ronnie?" I managed to call out through the tears.

He let out an airy chuckle and it was the best thing I had heard in a long time.

"I'm coming home, sis." He announced. "I'm coming home."

Time Skip

I was too antsy to stand still. I stood in the hallway with Cisco by the elevator, waiting for Barry, Professor Stein, Caitlin, and Ronnie to get back. I was practically jumping out of my skin as I paced back and forth, taking Cisco's arm and reading the time on his wristwatch every few seconds. He would just chuckle and shake his head.

"What's taking them so long?" I whined, still pacing near the elevator.

He laughed and it echoed down the narrow, long hallway. His eyes were brighter than I've seen them in a while. "Relax, they should be here soon."

"Not soon enough," I pouted, actually jumping up and down this time.

"You're going to break your heels," he chuckled, looking down at my four-inch black heels. I also noticed the way his eyes slowly raked back up my body before he met my eyes again. He was so bad at being discreet about checking me out. Unless he wasn't trying to be sneaky about it, then he was doing a good job.

I purposely slipped out of my shoes, making myself shorter than him once again. He narrowed his eyes and shook his head as I giggled. I kicked the shoes against the wall so no one would trip over them and began pacing again. And I got to thinking… Cisco helped me make that quantum splicer. He helped me save my brother. I so meant it when I called him a hero earlier. He may not be widely known like The Flash, but he doesn't need to be. He's my hero.

Without warning, I walked over and wrapped my arms around him, laying my head against his chest and giving him a nice squeeze. He seemed stunned for a second, not exactly knowing what to do, and I couldn't help but smile at how his heart was pounding against my ear. But then he came to his senses and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, laying his cheek against my head.

I could feel his jaw move as he asked, "What's this for?"

"For being a hero," I stated, not letting go. I took a deep breath, instantly filled with his 'Cisco-smell"- I don't know if he wears cologne, but he always has this familiar smell to him that almost resembles that of machinery… and a little bit like sweets. I smiled and reminded myself to buy him a bag of candy for later. He so deserves it.

His hand came up to my hair and he ran his fingers through it. I closed my eyes at his touch and immediately melted into his embrace. I loved it when he played with my hair, it was one of my weaknesses.

"I wouldn't call myself a hero…" He whispered, trying not to disturb this soft moment between us, "But I'm glad I could be helpful."

"You're always helpful," I whispered back, my eyes still closed. "One of the most helpful people I know… You're amazing."

I felt his chest rumble as he gave a soft laugh. His hot breath blew against the top of my head and he continued to run his fingers through my hair. I leaned into his embrace more as he leaned back against the wall. If we had been lying down, I could've totally fallen asleep in his arms at that moment. SO much had been going on, I was so tired, and he was so comfortable, warm, and familiar.

I finally had to pull myself away as I felt my limbs start to fall asleep. Any longer and my legs would've given out. I wiggled my toes to wake up my left foot as I looked up at him. He smiled sheepishly, looking a little tired himself, before reaching up to place a loose strand of my hair behind my ear. He didn't remove his hand, though, he let it lie there against my cheek. His eyes softened then, and I was brought back to the moment where I was lying on the hospital bed and he had his forehead against mine. I hadn't noticed the look at the time, but it was the same one he had given me before he kissed me.

I was almost sure he was going to kiss me again as he leaned in. Using his soft hand, he brought it down to my chin to tilt my head upwards. I let him as I close my eyes, expectantly. I was crazy. We hadn't even discussed what the first kiss meant to us, and yet here I was wanting him to kiss me again. Yearning to feel his lips against mine.

However, his lips planted themselves against my forehead. I still smiled, though. Typical Cisco, always rationally thinking for me, especially when I'm not doing much thinking at all. Kissing right now, without discussing how we felt would be stupid… But forehead kisses were still pretty nice, too. I rested my hands on his biceps again and he held me still by the waist as his lips stayed on my forehead for a while. His fingers squeezed my hips tightly as if he was afraid I was going to pull away. _I'm not moving until you ask me to, Cisco._

When he pulled away, I smile up at him, repeating what he had asked me earlier, "What was that for?"

He had his signature half-smile on and his eyes were staring deep into mine. Sometimes I wondered if he could picture himself drowning in my eyes, the way he looks at me. I pictured swimming in his pool of chocolate before he spoke up.

"Because I like you, Leah."

Although his look was playful, his voice was serious. He was still gripping my sides, holding me close to him, and I still had my hands on his upper arms. I wanted so badly to rest my head against his chest to see if his heart was beating as rapidly as mine, but I froze. I should've assumed he felt this way, considering he had kissed me and all the times he has held me or stared at me, but I had never wanted to get my hopes up. However, hearing him say it out loud was much more satisfying than just assuming it.

I didn't have time to say something. Not that I knew what to say. I was surprised that he had confessed right then.

But the elevator opened and we stepped away from each other. Suddenly, my mind was on a whole other track. One thing at a time, that's how my mind works.

And right now, it was focused on the bright blue eyes that met mine as the door revealed my other half. My twin.


	12. A Long Time Coming

Leah

I don't remember saying this name. Or running through the distance in between us. However, I found myself wrapped up in his massive arms within seconds, and he had to lift me off the ground or else bend down because of the slight height difference. I probably should've kept my heels on, it would've helped, but at the moment, I didn't mind that my feet weren't touching the ground. It matched exactly how I was feeling at the moment. I was on cloud nine to have the brother I thought was dead back in my arms. He set me down after a few minutes of tight squeezes and giggles.

"Let me see you!" He laughed, setting me down to get a good look at my face which was streaming with tears again. Happy tears this time. No wonder why I was so exhausted, there was so much crying going on today. He looked me over as if he was trying to remember every second of this moment. He grinned, his goofy grin, and finally spoke up, "You're still short."

"Hey!" I playfully smacked his arm and he laughed again. His laugh had to be my second favorite, Cisco's being my first, of course. I'd never tell Ronnie that, though. "You just got back and you're already being mean!" I was teasing, but then I closed the distance again and wrapped him in another hug. His arms were large and he could've easily crushed me with him. I had always joked that he had the good looks and I had the brain; his arms and my lack of muscles just happened to be proof of that.

"I missed you," he admitted and it made me want to sob harder. My brother was never really open about his feelings when it came to me; it took him a good three months for him to tell me that he was with Caitlin, and by then I already had it figured out. Again, I'm oblivious, not stupid. He was never really good with expressing his feelings, except for when it came to Caitlin and that's how I knew they were meant to be together and that's why I had approved of her.

But here he was, hugging me tightly and telling me how he was feeling. The tears didn't stop falling and the smile on my face wasn't about to leave anytime soon. "I missed you too… So, so much…"

Someone cleared their throat nearby and I finally let loose of my viper grip on Ronnie. I turned my head to see an older man with cracked glasses. His shirt was in ruins and his silver hair was a perfect displayed mess with ashes covering the top. The Professor straightened the lens on his nose and smiled.

"It's nice to finally meet YOU, Professor," I told him, shaking his hand and then wiping the tears off my face.

He gave a nod of his head, "You as well, Ms. Raymond. Now, you guys wouldn't happen to have a place where I can freshen up and change, would you?"

"Right this way, Professor," Caitlin said, leading him away, but not after shooting me and Ronnie a large grin.

"Ronnie Raymond," Cisco chuckled as he stepped forward.

"Cisco Ramon," he smiled, before they hugged.

"Man, have I missed you," Cisco said, hugging him just a second longer before letting go. His face grew a little solemn as he sighed, "I never should've shut that door…"

Ronnie shook his head. "Don't. I told you to and you did the right thing."

Cisco grinned up at him and I couldn't help but speak up, "Told you so."

Ronnie chuckled and looked between the two of us before telling us, "I'm glad you guys stuck together while I was gone. I would've hated to break that up, you guys make a good team."

Cisco smiled over at me, his usual half-smile and I quickly looked away to hide the color that crept up my neck and the new kind of smile that was forming on my face.

"I don't know, man, she gave me a real hard time at first." Cisco teased.

"I did not!"  
"You know she stopped talking to me for a whole month?!"

"It was just a month! You're lucky I didn't shut you out for a year."

Cisco opened his mouth as if to say something smart, before he closed it and nodded. "Yeah, that would've sucked. I already missed you after a month, imagine how I would've been after a year."

My heart was beating so fast at this point and I could tell the color on my neck had spread to my cheeks and the top of my ears. Did he seriously just admit that? Right in front of Ronnie, too? Why was he so confident all of a sudden?

Ronnie however looked highly amused. He turned to Cisco looking very impressed, and they gave each other looks as if they were speaking in a language I wasn't quite understanding. Oh great, Cisco can confuse me with Spanish AND telepathy now!

"Cut it out!" I whined as they continued to do it.

They both laughed. I love it when they laugh.

Time Skip

Later that night, Professor Stein's wife had invited us all to dinner. Before I knew it, I had joined Cisco, Barry, Caitlin, and Ronnie in the Professor's house and we were all talking and laugh over lasagna and wine. For a second, I looked around me and saw all happy faces, all grinning and laughing over silly things. I lived for these kind of moments. They were my favorite moments of all.

My eyes landed on Cisco who sat across from me and he happened to look up at me at the same time. His eyes sparkled with a glint of happiness that I hadn't seen in months and my heart melted at the sight of it. He gave me a knowing smile as if he understood exactly what he was saying before lifting his glass.

"Cheers," he announced, "To family and friends."

"And love," Caitlin added, staring adoringly at Ronnie.

I met Cisco's eyes again and his softened. He held up his glass higher and in a quieter voice, repeated, "And love."

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from grinning like a full, but it didn't stop my lips from tugging up at the corners. I cleared my throat to keep a straight face and lifted my glass. "Cheers to family, friends, and love."

The taste of grapes slid down my tongue as Cisco and I kept eye contact over our wine glasses. With a small smile, I set my glass down first and wiped my mouth with a napkin. Turning to Mrs. Stein, I quickly asked, "May I be excused for a second?"

"Are you alright?" Ronnie asked, seeing as he was sitting close to me.

I looked up at his blue eyes- my blue eyes- and I smiled, knowing that my eyes were shining with it. "Never better. Promise."

I stood up and grabbed my coat before heading outside. The night air was chilly as it blew right through my jacket and wrapped itself around me. I crossed my arms over my chest and hugged myself tight as I peered up at the moon. It was bright against the black sky, and several stars surrounded it like families and friends.

I smiled as I heard the front door open and close again. I knew he was going to follow me outside. I turned to see Cisco make his way over from the front porch. He stuffed his hands in his pocket and grinned at me, the condensation was visible in the crisp, cold atmosphere. He stepped up to stand in front of me, licking his dry lips.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi."

It was just like how we met all over again:

 _Hartley had introduced us, looking annoyed with the new guy already. But that was just the thing, Hartley was an asshole._

 _"Cisco Ramon, this is our favorite technical engineer," he leaned closer to the timid new employee and harshly whispered, "Keep your hands to yourself, we don't accept that stuff here."_

 _I laughed, "You're joking, right? Ronnie and Caitlin are always kissing when they think no one is looking." I finally turned my attention to Cisco, "Hi! I'm Leah Raymond."_

 _"Hey," he hesitated before shaking my hand._ _He was so nervous, his hand was sweaty against mine. "Oh…" He quickly pulled his hand away and wiped it on his shirt, "S-sorry."_

 _I smiled. He was so sweet and shy, it was kind of cute._ Of course, I didn't let myself get too far ahead with that thought at the time, since I was seeing Drew. _"It's okay, everyone is nervous on the first day, right?"_

 _"R-right," his grin could've lit up the whole room. "Let me try that again," he cleared his throat before saying, "Hey."_

 _"Hi."_

We had come so far since then, it felt like forever ago. I looked at him, grateful that he hadn't changed all that much since then. He was still the same sweet, shy guy I met who walked in to his first day of work with a "Keep Calm and Han Solo Shot First" t-shirt. Except now, he was no longer a stranger to me. No longer just a coworker to me. He was my best friend and I had fallen for him faster than Barry can run. And that's fast.

"It's nice out tonight," he said, sparking up a conversation in the silence.

I laughed, "Its freezing."

He nodded in agreement, "Yeah, okay, it's freezing." We giggled as he stepped even closer, our toes were touching now and I could feel his breath on my face. He kept his hands in his pocket, but I was feeling warmer with him just standing that close.

"What now?" I asked, my voice quiet, feeling as though there was no need to disturb the peace around us. He was standing close enough to hear anything I whispered.

"I really want to kiss you again," he told me and it took everything in me to swallow down the huge ass grin I wanted to give him. Before I could comment, he added, "But I also should do this properly and take you out on a proper date first." Surprised by his proposal, I had forgotten how to speak, my jaw falling open just slightly. "Is tomorrow night good?"

I gave a nervous giggle and ran my hands over my face. This was crazy. He was my best friend. He was my coworker. I had been working alongside him for almost four years now. Two years before the explosion and a year and a half after. We had our ups and downs, but he somehow always figured out how to solve things between us. He somehow figured out that movies, hot chocolate, and playing with my hair were my weaknesses along the way. He knew when to hold me, when to say something, when to just be silent… He knew me.

So, of course, I let go of that wide grin I had been holding and said, "Tomorrow night sounds perfect, actually." I giggled before teasing him, "What took you so long?"

He chuckled, removing his hands from his pockets so they could find mine and he placed his fingers in between mine. His hands were a lot warmer than mine were, and I immediately curled my fingers around his. Cisco bit his bottom lip as he considered how to answer my question. I would've been fine with an answer, it didn't matter how long it took just that it was happening.

However, he replied with, "I had to find the courage." He looked down at me, still holding my hands in his and his lips curled slightly. "You scare me, woman."

I giggled, "I didn't think you were afraid of anything… Except bees."

He sighed, rolling his eyes and shaking his head, "I hate bees."

We laughed together.

The lawn was lit up with the lights from inside the house as the front door was opened. We quickly let go of each other and stepped away, just slightly, as we looked over to see who the intruder was. Caitlin had her head peeking out past the screen door and by the look on her face and the teasing smile she was giving us, I knew we hadn't stepped away fast enough.

"You two okay out here?" She asked in a sing-song voice.  
Cisco gave a nervous chuckle and stuffed his hands back in his pocket. I didn't know what to do with my hands now that they were no longer holding Cisco's, so I ran a hand through my hair before crossing my arms over my chest once again. She wasn't going to let me live this down, I knew that much.

"We're good," I told her.

She gave me a wicked grin and said, "I bet you are."

I laughed, "Go away!"  
She pointed at me and sighed, "Fine. But we're talking later."

"Later," I agreed.

She smiled, satisfied with my answer, before disappearing back inside again. I sighed once more, but not feeling as nervous as I thought I would. I'm going on a date with Cisco. I've been waiting for this for a while now, I'm too excited to be nervous.

I looked at Cisco, faking annoyance and he laughed.

"That's YOUR future sister-in-law," he pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I giggled as we headed back inside.

He held the screen door open for me and I stepped in, feeling the warmth surrounding my cold arms and legs. Everyone else was still gathered in the dining room, their laughter was echoing all along the house, and I smiled.

Yeah. I've been waiting for this for a while now.


	13. Happy Birthday Dante

Leah

I spent the rest of that night, sitting on the couch with Ronnie and Caitlin and drinking more wine. Caitlin continued to give me a knowing look and I spent hours praying she wouldn't bring the Cisco-thing up in front of Ronnie. Ronnie hated it when I dated Drew, he immediately went into protective-brother mode. I just got him back, though; I wasn't ready to deal with that drama yet. Luckily for me, she didn't say anything. I went to bed that night with a fuzzy mind from all the wine I had and a text message from Cisco.

Cisco: _Sweet dreams._

Short and sweet. I forgot to reply back, though. I was so exhausted. I definitely fell asleep with a smile on my face, however. But Cisco wasn't there that night, so my nightmares were.

 _"Leah," I turned my head to see Ronnie standing in the middle of a busy highway. What was he doing?! He was going to get hit by a car! I watched as several of the cars swerved past him, causing car accidents all around him. I threw my hands up to cover my ears, but I could still hear the pop of car after car, hitting each other and making a mess all around. "Leah, you did it. You did this."_

 _"Did what?! Ronnie, get out of the way! I just got you back!"_

 _I squealed and turned my head to see a car just barely miss me. That's when I noticed I was also standing in the middle of the highway, just on the other side. My heart was racing and my mind told me to move, but my legs wouldn't follow suit. I felt glued to the ground. I turned my head back to shout at Ronnie and tell him to move again, but the words died down in my throat._

 _It was no longer Ronnie who stood on the opposite side of the intersection. It was Cisco. His eyes were lifeless as he stared at me and I forgot how to breathe when I saw the blood running down the side of his head._

 _"It was you, Leah." He choked out, blood seeping out from the corner of his mouth. "Why did you do it?"_

 _"D-do what? I don't understand!" But before I could get an answer, I watched as Cisco got hit by a white STAR Labs van. His body jerked to the side as he went flying down the road and he skidded on his side, rolling a few times before coming to a complete halt. His head rolled and his eyes met mine one more time before he took one last breath._

 _"CISCO!" I turned as I felt a pair of headlights blind me for a second. I blinked a few times to see the white van had turned to face me. I focused on the driver seat to see who ran Cisco over. Why would they do this to us?!_

 _No one was in the driver seat. Because it was me. I had done it._

I woke up with a start, sitting up quickly to observe my surroundings. I was still in my bedroom and everything was normal, except my heart rate was double that of a normal rate, and I was drenched in a layer of cold sweat. _I had a nightmare… That's all it was._ I could remember seeing Ronnie and Cisco in it, and that something awful had happened to Cisco, but besides that, I couldn't remember anything. Maybe that was for the best.

After a quick shower, I got dressed for work and headed downstairs. I dressed up again, knowing that Cisco and I were having our date afterwards. I stopped midway down the steps as everything from the night before hit me. Sitting down on one of the steps, I squealed into my hands. How can someone be THIS happy? I couldn't remember being this happy or excited in a very, very long time. Screw the nightmares, they'll go away eventually, right?

I headed back downstairs again, skipping down the last few steps and was heading to Caitlin's room to make sure she was awake. However, Ronnie's shirt hung on the doorknob and I quickly headed for the kitchen instead. Yeah, I'm not walking in on them if I can help it. Caitlin can miss a day of work, she deserves it. I drove to STAR Labs with the radio blaring to the song "Girls Chase Boys" by Ingrid Michaelson and I may or may not have been singing along.

I was still humming along as I left the elevator and walking into the main lab. I smiled to myself as I saw Cisco, sitting with his back to me and focusing on his work at hand. I glanced around to make sure no one else was around before setting my purse and jacket down on the chair next to him. He moved to look up at me, but I snuck up behind him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, laying my head on his. He chuckled and took my hands in his like he had done last night. His our fingers fit perfectly together.

"Someone is in a good mood today," he said, I could hear the smile in his voice.

I shrugged, letting go of him and sitting in the seat beside him. I bit my bottom lip and avoided his eyes, hoping he couldn't see the silly look on my face. "Mhmm," he gave a small chuckle before leaning forward. He pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth again and I wanted to close the distance completely. Why did he have to be such a gentleman? It made a blush creep up my cheeks and I could hear my heart in my ears again.

Once again, there was a buzz from the computer in front of Cisco. We both flinched as it made a whirring noise, a loud POP, and sparks flew from the back of the computer before the screen went completely black. Cisco sighed.

'Aww, man… My work…" Cisco whined, but for some reason, there was still a smile plastered on his face.

"We really need to fix this place up," I sighed, standing up to check the back of the computer, one of the wires attached to the back seemed to have exploded somehow as if someone snapped the wire and then caught it on fire. "Whoa… What the hell?" I leaned further and almost lost my footing. I placed my hand on the edge of the computer to catch myself and that's when it happened.

Several large green numbers appeared in front of me, all flying quickly at me as if they were going to slam into me. I squealed in surprise and jumped back to put distance between them and I, when I tripped over Cisco's chair and fell on my ass. The numbers disappeared then and somehow, I just KNEW what happened to the computer.

"Leah?" Cisco jumped up, concerned, and kneeled down next to me. He took my hands and lifted them up. "Are you alright? Did it shock you?"

"The computer overheated," I told him, not exactly sure how I knew it from just looking at the wire. "It fired the hard drive and files… All the files and everything is gone…" And for some reason, I felt an unsettling feeling in my chest. "I'm sorry."

He shook his head and moved the hair out of my face gently, "What are you apologizing for?"

I stared up at the computer in front of us as it sparked a couple more times as the computer tried to come back on, but it failed. "N-no idea…"

Suddenly, the desk vibrated and Cisco reached up to grab his phone and read the text message. His usual smile slowly faded into a frown as his eyes scanned the screen. I waited for him to say something as I watched him.

"Shit," he mumbled under his breath.

"What is it?" He looked up at me, his eyes looking sad again. "Cisco, what is it?"

He sighed, "I forgot my brother's birthday party is tonight…"

"How do you forget something like that?" I giggled, completely teasing. I had never met his family and he doesn't talk all that much about them, but I knew it was because he never really saw eye-to-eye with them. "What time?"

His frown deepened, "Same time as our date."

"Oh."

"It's okay!" He assured me before I could say anything else. "I can skip it! He's had so many birthdays, he's old! I'm sure they won't mind if I miss one."

"Cisco, you can't miss your brother's birthday! He is your brother!" I laughed, "It's fine, we can have our date another day."

"No way, it's taken me FOREVER to ask you out, I'm not postponing this."

I laughed and moved the hair out of his face. I couldn't help but notice his eyes land on my lips for just a second and the corners of my mouth tug up even further. "Then what are we going to do about it?"

"Will you come with me?" Okay, I'll admit, that's not what I was expecting.

My heart skipped a beat. I'm sure my eyes widen by a lot. "Wait, to where? Your brother's birthday party? You sure?" His eyebrows raised in confusion, before I went on, "Well, I've never met your family before! What if your parents don't like me? What if they don't want you to bring anyone? What if I say something stupid?"

I stopped, realizing that I was rambling on when he chuckled. He leaned forward and this time, he pressed his lips to the tip of my nose. I couldn't help but giggle like a school girl at the feeling, it was so cute. I only felt slightly annoyed when the lights flickered. Seriously, this place was just going to fall apart on us one day.

"I think they'll love you," he told me, taking my hand again, but this time he pressed a kiss to my knuckles. Jesus, if he keeps kissing me everywhere but my lips, I was going to start a fit. "Besides, think about how awesome I'll look if I walked in with a beautiful woman on my arm, while my brother still lives with our parents."

I really had no control over the coloring in my cheeks now. "Beautiful, huh?"

He gave me that smile again, and now I could define it as his flirting smile. "Very."

Teasing, I sighed and rolled my eyes, "Fine, I guess I'll go." He laughed as he helped me up off the ground. He placed a kiss on my forehead and didn't let go of my hands. I guess it was his way of saying "thank you" and also satisfying his love to tease me by not actually kissing me.

Time Skip

"So, does this count as our first date?" I asked him as he drove his car to his parent's. Work had been slow and not much had happened while we were there. Caitlin and Ronnie didn't show up at the lab and I tried not to remember the shirt on the door to their bedroom. Maybe they were just eating popcorn and watching movies? Sure.

Cisco frantically shook his head, "No way." He gave me a quick glance before focusing on the road again, "What I had planned was much more romantic?"

"What was it?"

"You really want me to tell you?"

I giggled, "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't."

"Well, there was a show playing at the planetarium near STAR Labs," he told me.

"Aww, I love stars."

"Then I would've taken you to dinner at that nice place on 29th street." I smiled. That was the kind of restaurant where you dress to impress. I was so not dressed properly for that, so I was a little relieved. "And then I would've taken you back home and kissed you outside your door like they all do in the movies." He gave me a quick wink.

I giggled, "If this is the movies, then Ronnie would open the door before you could, and yell at me to get inside and you would never get your kiss." I thought about it for a few seconds, before adding, "I really need to get my own place again." I grinned when he laughed.

His laughing ended and his smile faded as he pulled to the curb of a nice home. I glanced at it before turning to him, "Is this it?" He didn't even look at the house, instead, he stared at the road in front of him and gave me a stiff nod. "Hey," he didn't look up at me until I took his hand in mine. "This will be different, I promise. You got me this time, remember?"

He smiled.

Time Skip

Okay, so things didn't go exactly as I had planned.

We walked in and I was literally holding onto his arm to show that I was his. I looked around as we stepped inside, it was a nice, bright house with pictures hanging all over the walls. I smiled at the pictures of little Cisco, but most of them were of his brother, Dante. His piano pictures, mostly. There were many people around and they were all chatting and smiling. Cisco, however, looked like he was about to vomit. He held a present in his hand for Dante, and I took the other hand and squeezed it reassuringly. He looked at me and smiled again. I smiled back.

 _This will be fun, Cisco. We have each other. It's always fun together._

He nodded his head seeming to understand what I was trying to say, and I followed him into the living room, still holding his hand. His brother was much taller than him and wore a nice suit for his special day. It matched how fancy the birthday cake that sat in the middle of the room was. Although he looked nothing like Cisco, I spotted him right away. He didn't look all that different from the pictures that were hanging on the walls.

Cisco and I waited in one of the corners of the room, until Dante spotted us. He quickly headed over. "Cisco, hi," he greeted, and for some reason, I felt like Dante's eyes were on me more than his brother. "How are you, mi hermano?"

"Good, good," Cisco told him, although it sounded really forced. "I got you a present, hope you like it. It's-,"

Dante cut him off, "Awesome, thanks," and took the present from him to add to the pile of other presents. Cisco sighed before Dante made his way back over to us. Gesturing to me, he asked, "Who's this?"

Cisco began to stutter to my surprise, "T-this is, uh… She's my, um…"

I took the liberty then to speak up and help Cisco out. Still holding Cisco's hand, I held out my free one, "I'm Cisco's girlfriend, Leah. It's nice to meet you."

"Huh…" Dante shook my hand, holding onto it a little too long for comfort. "Girlfriend, hmm?"

"Well… Sort of," I gave a nervous giggle as I felt Cisco's eyes on me as well. Maybe I shouldn't have exactly used the term "girlfriend" yet, but I panicked. "We had a date today, but Cisco told me of your party, so I insisted we come." I added, hoping to save myself now.

It didn't exactly work out. "Hmm, wow. Even the girls who don't know me are attracted to me, huh, Cisco?" He laughed, glancing over at his younger brother. I only glanced over at Cisco just a little to see him glaring at Dante as he squeezed my hand tighter. I squeezed back to reassure him once again, but it didn't work. "Oh, come on, mi hermano!" He gave an odd laugh, "Why so serious?"

Cisco scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Come on, Leah," he muffled. "We don't need to be here." I couldn't say anything before Cisco led me to the door.

"Oh, uh, happy birthday!" I called back to Dante before heading out behind Cisco. He continued to drag me to the car mumbling things about how he knew this would be a bad idea and all. "Cisco, slow down." But he didn't. He let go of my hand and opened my door for me. I sighed and sat in the car, waiting for him to climb into the driver seat. When he did, he just sat there, staring at the road. "It wasn't so bad."

"He always embarrasses me." He sighed. "He always thinks he's better than me, always takes people who are important to me away."

"Cisco, stop." I took his hand again and leaned closer so he was interested in looking over at me. When he did, I spoke up again in a soft voice, "I'm still here, aren't I? I'm here in the car with you, not in the house, hanging out with your overly confident and creepy brother," I got a laugh from him then, which caused me to grin. "Besides, he's NOT better than you. Not even close. You're so much cooler than him, Cisco! You have your own house and job, which he doesn't have. And so what if you can't play piano? You're smart as hell! Smart is so much more attractive than someone who is almost thirty and lives with his parents." I earned another smile from him that time and I smiled back.

"You're amazing," he told me in a soft and sincere voice.

I grinned up at him. "Guess that's why we make such a good team, because you are too."

He chuckled then and I soaked in the sound. It was nice to know that I could make him happy again after he was feeling so down. It made me feel helpful for once.

He leaned forward again and I closed my eyes out of instinct, expecting another kiss to the cheek or my nose, or maybe even my forehead. I felt his lips brush over mine quickly and my heart pounded against my chest. _About time_. I leaned forward and kissed him back, deepening the kiss. This one was slow like the first, but lingered much longer and was so much deeper. It was like we were both trying to put all our emotions in this one kiss. I tilted my head into the kiss and heard him sigh my name before our tongues met. I hated how the gear shift was in the way, it made it harder to hold him close as his arms wrapped around my waist, and mine went in his long hair. He sighed against my lips again and I felt a shiver run down my spine before we were interrupted rudely.

His phone which was sitting on the arm rest in between us went off once again. Cisco slowly and reluctantly let go of my waist, giving me one last peck on the lips before whining something about how we always get interrupted. I giggled as he grabbed the phone and brought it to his ear.

"Hello?" He answered, his tone a little grumpy. I tried not to giggle again. His face flushed then, "No, Barry, you're good. No, I was just driving…" He glanced at me, looking guilty and I covered my mouth with my hand to muffle the laughter. "What? Now?" He sighed, "Fine, alright. We'll be there soon—I mean, I will! I'll be there soon! I'll pick up Leah on the way, bye!" He quickly hung up.

"I don't know, Cisco. We're going to have to tell them, eventually."

He grinned, closing the distance between us once again and giving me another lingering kiss. "Alright. After our first date, okay? I'll take you somewhere later tonight."

"Or we could just have another movie night, like we usually do."

His grin widen, "This is why you're my best friend."

"I know."


	14. Pet Names

Cisco

I drove once again to STAR Labs, listening to Leah hum quietly as she stared out the window. I couldn't help but steal glances at her every now and then. I had pictured this many, many times before; Leah in the passenger seat of my car, I have one hand on the wheel and the other is holding hers above the gear shift. I rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb to see her reaction; she glanced down at our hands before looking up at me. Her eyes caught mine and she smiled, her cheeks turning pink just slightly. God, I loved that color of pink.

"What about your birthday?" She broke the silence, still looking over at me.

I kept my eyes on the road, "What about it?"

"Well, it's in a few days… Don't your parents do anything for your birthday?"

My lips formed a thin line and I swallowed the thought of my parents actually caring because I knew it was highly unlikely. "No," I gave her a smile, hoping she wouldn't feel pity for me. I was honestly use to it by now. "I guess that's another reason why Dante and I don't get along. Our birthdays are so close, but my parents have always made a bigger deal out of his." She frowned, just like I had expected her to. "Hey, don't worry about it. I've gotten used to it."

"It doesn't make it right," she said softly.

I turned my head to look at her, her blue eyes were soft like her hand. I've never been looked at with so much kindness before. It really made me want to pull over and kiss the living hell out of her right then, but I knew we had things to do. Besides, we had all the time in the world to kiss. I had plenty of time to kiss her later.

"CISCO!" Her voice always brought me back down to Earth, back to reality. Except I wasn't prepared for what reality was throwing at us right now.

There was something in the middle of the highway and I knew, if I slammed down on the brakes, I still wouldn't be able to avoid it. Out of fear, I let go of the steering wheel. Why did I always ruin things? If only I had kept my eyes on the road. _I'm sorry, Leah._ The sound of her scream would be the last thing I would hear and it struck the deepest of my fears. _Please, let her be okay. Please, don't harm her._ I didn't have time to shut my eyes.

I watched as the brake petal hit the floor, hard. The car came to such a hard halt that Leah and I were thrown forward. The seatbelt around my waist dug into my hips and my head smacked hard against the wheel. I heard Leah grunt beside me and I looked up to see what had happened, holding my throbbing head in one of my hands.

The car stopped and shut down right in front of a tall brunette. She stood there and stared at us with wide eyes. What the hell was she doing in the middle of the road?! I looked down at the brake petal again… And how the hell did the car stop?! No, it didn't just stop, it hit the brakes on its own and then turned itself off. My car isn't that cool!

"C-Cisco…" I looked over to see Leah looking wide-eyed at the woman in front of our car.

She backed away a few steps away from us and just barely missed getting hit by another car. It was a Humvee equipped with a very large gun on the roof. We watched as another skidded to a stop beside it, cornering the woman in between us and their vehicles. We watched silently as some men began to climb out of the large Humvees, aiming guns at the woman.

"What did we just run into?" Leah mumbled under her breath. Her eyes were just as wide in shock as mine.

We both jumped at the sound of a large POP as one of the vehicles behind us couldn't stop fast enough and slammed into the barricade and just barely missed our car. We watched the car go up in flames and some of the pieces fly out and roll along the road. One of the metal pieces rolled until it landed right at the woman's feet. She looked down at the scrap metal as a plan seemed to be working its way through her mind, it was written all over her face.

She glanced up at Leah and I, her eyes were apologetic, and she mouthed the words, "Run."

"Cisco," I heard Leah's voice but it didn't register to me that I should be moving. I should be grabbed the wheel and booking it out of there. Instead, I sat and watched.

The highway stranger picked up the piece of metal and it glowed an odd purple. Alright, not just a woman— she was a metahuman. I heard Leah call my name a little more urgently this time, but I continued to watch as the woman tossed the object aside and it rolled underneath one of the Humvees. The men were shouting orders at her, ones that Leah and I couldn't hear inside the car, their guns still pointed at this woman. The woman… Metahuman raised her hands above her head in surrender, before it happened.

The Humvee on our right blew up in flames. _So, that's why she told us to run…_

I heard Leah scream again and the car roared back to life at the sound. I watched as all the signals lit up in front of me and the gear shift moved down to reverse. The Humvee to our left followed in a heated explosion just as the gas pedal touched the floor and the car was jerked backwards, away from the terrifying scene. I gasped as we flew backwards, down the road and I clenched my jaw, fearing that we'd slam into a car behind us. However, the steering wheel turned a little too sharp to the left and we backed into the wall separating us from the other side of the interstate. The impact was painful as my head slammed into the steering wheel again and the front window shattered glass into our laps. I reached up and felt the warm, thick feeling of blood running down my forehead.

Somehow, with the throbbing headache that followed the blood running down my temple, I understood exactly what had happened to the car. _Leah._ I felt panic run up my spine as I turned to check on her. She had a cut along her cheek that leaked a little blood, but other than that, she seemed to be doing okay. _Oh, thank God._ I reached over and ran a hand along the cheek that wasn't scratched. Her eyes were still wide and her breathing was uneven.

"G-get us out of here," she begged, holding her arm which was bleeding.

I nodded. "Yeah, okay." She didn't have to tell me twice. I tried moving the car and it surprisingly didn't resist considering the damage it took. It made a screeching noise at first and I feared we would have to walk all the way back, but after a few seconds, the car began slowly rolling. I turned off the highway, taking another way to the lab. 'Leah, that was amazing," I managed to say when we were close to STAR Labs.

Her breathing was still going way too fast for normality. She shook her head, "Amazing? Are you crazy?" It sounded like she was struggling to talk.

"Do you really not realize what you did back there?"

"Cisco, just shut up and get us to safety."

"Roger that."

She shot me a glare and I kept my mouth shut the rest of the way.

We didn't get far into the building before Caitlin was at our side. She let Leah lean against her as she led us to the main room. Her hands continued to grab at us; checking our pulse and observing our scratches.

"What happened out there?" She asked once she got Leah seated in a chair. She grabbed small tweezers from the cabinet nearby and began picking small pieces of glass out of Leah's arm. "We heard the explosion from here!"

"You should've seen Leah, Caitlin, she was awesome!"

"When did you get here?" Leah asked, trying to ignore the topic. She's not stupid, so why was she being so oblivious?

Caitlin blushed just a tad. "About an hour ago, Barry called Ronnie and me in. Something about a metahuman problem?"

As if queued in, Ronnie stepped into the room. It only took him a few strides before he was knelt on the ground beside Leah. Barry wasn't too far behind him and he came to stand by me. He placed a hand on my shoulder and I brushed him off, I felt fine. Fantastic, actually. I would've died if it hadn't been for Leah and she wasn't even seeing it.

"Are you okay?" Ronnie asked Leah, observing the damage on her arms.

She shook her head, trying to brush her brother aside. "It's only a couple of scratches." She ran a hand over her head. "What the hell just happened?"

"Looks like you met the metahuman I was talking about," Barry spoke up.

"Yeah, what the hell was with her?" Leah asked.

"Doesn't matter," I assured her. "You saved us, you got us out! Guys, it was so cool and you should have seen it, Barry!" My excitement was totally bubbling over.

"Quit saying that," she snapped at me. The lights above our heads flickered at her tone of voice, almost like she was scaring them. "I didn't do anything."

Barry chuckled awkwardly until he saw that Leah was a hundred percent serious. "Dude…" He turned to look at me, his joking grin faded from his face, "I thought you were going to tell her?"

My cheeks burned a little under all the stares and I licked my suddenly dry lips. I shrugged my shoulders. "It might've slipped my mind… Better now than never, right?" Wells wheeled himself into the room then, and sat just a few feet away from all of us. Everyone was looking at me now.

I looked down at Leah who looked completely confused. Her eyebrows were raised as far up her head as they would go. "Tell me what?"

"That you're a metahuman, Leah," Ronnie sighed.

She continued to look at us with a blank expression. She was probably expecting this to be a joke, waiting for us to laugh and say "just kidding, just kidding!" except we weren't. Caitlin had been running a few secret test on her as she was healing from the previous car accident. She had the metahuman gene, matching that of her brother's genes, except now, her DNA had its own particular appearance to it. It was fascinating to study, actually.

Caitlin and I weren't a hundred percent sure about what her power was until a few days later. I felt like an idiot; of course, it was so obvious. Why else would lights flicker whenever she panicked or got upset? Even the streetlight she stood under the night of the car accident went out after she had yelled at me. When she continued to yell at me in the car, the car came to life and eventually slammed into the wall. Ever since then, the lights and computers all along the lab would flicker or go out. Sometimes, they even exploded like the night I told her my feelings. It had always been Leah. She just didn't know it, until now.

"You guys are crazy," she finally spoke up, her voice deadpan. Her eyes were wide, however, and she was obviously freaking out because the computer next to me started acting funny again. I gently tugged on Barry's sleeve and we stepped just a bit away from the computer. Just in case it decided to blow up too. "I'm not a metahuman! There's no way!" The lights above our head flickered repeatedly. She stood out of her seat to Caitlin's disapproval since she was still trying to pick glass out of Leah's arm. Leah ignored her though and ran a hand through her dark hair, practically pacing back and forth. We all stayed silent as she thought about it.

"It's impossible," she mumbled.

"But it isn't," Barry said.

"There's no way."

Ronnie shrugged, "Eh, there could be a way. You were around when the accelerator exploded."

"That was almost two years ago!"

"Late bloomer," Wells muttered, avoiding eye contact with Leah as she shot him a glare.

"I think I would know if I was a metahuman," she growled. The lights above us were going crazy, the computer started to make a humming noise like it was ready to blow.

I took a daring step forward, "Leah, honey, relax."

"Honey?" I heard Ronnie repeat, the tone in voice made it obvious that he didn't like what I said.

"I meant Lele!"

Leah continued to pace, "You all are crazy."

I turned to face her again, "Just think about it, sweetie, it makes sense."

"Sweetie?" It was Ronnie's voice again.

"Leah," I corrected myself, feeling a lump rise in my throat. Of course, I would start to pull the pet names out right in front of Ronnie. I mentally kicked myself for being stupid.

"Nothing about this makes sense!"  
My mind went back to Leah again, who wasn't taking the information any better than before. "Babe, it is okay-."

"Babe?" This time, everyone but Leah and I spoke up. Barry and Caitlin seemed to be amused, Wells was looking at me like he expected this, and Ronnie stared at me as though I had just hit him in the face. With a chair. That had Leah's picture taped to it.

"LEAH! I MEANT LEAH!"

"QUIT YELLING!" Leah squealed, causing all the computers to shut off. I knew she was panicking, but how was she not noticing all this?

"Leah- come on, think about it. You're so smart," and then I came up with the most ridiculous thing I have ever said, and embarrassed myself and Leah right in front of everyone else, "Think about it, Cuddly-Wuddly Punpkin." _What the fuck?_

Leah turned to me then and I was expecting her to smack me right there. Who even says that, right?! Instead, she threw her hands over her ears and curled her fingers as if she wanted to pull her hair out, but was trying to convince herself not to. Her eyes got real large and small pools began to form in the corners of them as she whimpered, "I don't even know what that means!"

"Good to know we're on the same page still," I heard Wells say behind me. "Leah, listen. You have the metahuman gene, Caitlin checked it out a while ago."

Caitlin gave a nod of confirmation. "Right after your first car accident."

"AND NO ONE SAID ANYTHING? I still find this hard to believe!" The lights were freaking out at this point, and Leah had just seemed to notice. She pointed straight up at the light with a wild glare, "SOMEONE FIX THOSE THINGS!" As soon as she pointed at it, no one was given the chance to fix it. It exploded.

Everyone flinched away from the sparks and jumped back as the glass rained down onto the floor. It was silent, then. The only noise was the frequent spark of the broken lightbulb. I looked back at Leah to see her horrified expression. She was staring down at the mess with wide eyes, letting one of the tears fall, her mouth slightly opened, appalled. She had finally realized that it was her doing. _Talk about a lightbulb going off over the head._

I took a step towards her again, my hands reaching out for her. I wanted to hold her so badly. I could wipe that tear away and reassure her that everything was going to be alright. I could hold her close and never let go. Place my lips on hers and kiss her worries away. I could do it, I wanted to. I wanted her to know it was okay. Barry had special abilities and we helped him, we could help her too. I'd do anything for her, she had to know that.

"Leah," I started in a soft voice. My hands were so close to her waist, I was ready to cup her hips in my hands and pull her to me, when she flinched at my touch.

Her eyes were still wide when she looked up at me. The blue that usually shined bright was streaked with fear. "Don't touch me." I flinched at her words. Last time she told me that, she also told me she hated me. And as much as I knew she didn't mean it, it still had hurt at the time.

"Leah, hey," Ronnie went to reach up and lay his hand on her head but she stepped away from him too. "Leah?"

Her eyes landed on the pile of glass again, her lips still parted as she seemed to search for the right words. Her eyes swerved left and right as the gears in her head moved.

"You mean…" Her voice was very quiet and soft. She still seemed to be in complete shock as she licked her dry lips and tried again. "I… I caused the car accident…"

My heart sunk to know it hurt her. She had reached further into what we told her than we realized. She was blaming herself.

I opened my mouth to say something, when Caitlin stepped forward, "Leah, it's alright. You didn't know. It wasn't your fault."

"Hey," my view of her was blocked by Ronnie who stepped in front of her. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders and when she didn't shove him away, he continued, "No one here blames you for that. Even I know it was an accident and I wasn't even here."

She didn't say anything. Her face expression remained blank, the tears that were in her eyes, stayed there. She didn't move as Ronnie leaned in to hug her. Instead, she looked straight at me over Ronnie's shoulder. Her expression may be blank, but her eyes spoke a thousand words. Leah didn't believe a word Ronnie said.

Time Skip

Caitlin had been patching Leah's arm up when I walked in. With a quick glance in my direction and an "excuse me for a second," she left me alone in the room with Leah. Leah was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed. The same one Barry slept on for nine months. The same one she spent a month healing on. The same one where we kissed.

I stepped forward, not exactly sure what I was going to say, but I took the seat in front of her anyways. She was now sitting a little taller than me, but her eyes remained low, not looking at me. I watched as she bit her bottom lip, though. So, she did realize I was looking at her, she just wouldn't look down at me.

I sighed and took the bandage from the side table next to me. I reached out and was relieved that she didn't yank her arm away from me as I began to wrap her wound. It was silent and I was going to leave it that way. Sometimes, it's best to be quiet and I didn't have words right now anyways. At least, nothing better than Cuddly-Wuddly Pumpkin… And I wasn't ready to see how much worse it could get than that.

However, she broke the silence with a small whisper, "I could've killed us."

"But you didn't-."

"I could've," her voice was cold and serious. She looked up at me, "I could've killed us and what's worse… what's worse, is I would've done it without even realizing it…"

I stood up then so I was looking down at her and I cupped her face in my hands. She tried to pull away from me but I held her steady until she gave up and looked up at me. I stared deep into her eyes to let her know how serious I was.

"I don't blame you for any of that," I told her. She opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off, "And I don't hate you. I can't hate you." Her eyes glistened with recognition as she slowly began to realize what I was doing. "You're my best friend and I love you."

After repeating the words she had told me the night of the car accident, I smiled down at her. I never got the chance to tell her what those words meant to me, but now I got the chance to share them with her. Hopefully then, she would understand how I felt. And I think she did. Her lips slowly tugged upwards at the corner until she was giving me a small, bashful smile. She shook her head out of my hands and looked back down at the floor.

"I can't believe you remember that," she admitted.

"I can't believe YOU remember that. You were the one doped up on medicine."

She shrugged, "I still meant every word, though…" She reached forward and grabbed my hand and I held it as if it was the most precious thing in the world. Because to me, it was. "I know it's probably too soon to say I'm in love with you," my heart fluttered before she could continue, "but I do LOVE you, you know that, right? You've been my best friend for a while now, I've always loved you."

Is it too cheesy to say this warmed my heart? Well, too bad, it did. I couldn't help but grin like a fool as I sat down beside her, still not releasing her hand.

"I know and I love you too." I told her. "But…" Here was the sinking question I was afraid to ask, but I had to get it off my chest. I had to know. "Is there… Is there by any chance that you could… you know… fall IN love with me?"

Her face flushed a serious color of pink and she quickly looked away from me. Her hand was starting to feel a little clammy against mine which caused my heart to race. Had that been too forward of a question? Should I have not asked her that? _I just want to know… I want to know if I have a chance with her…_

"I'd be surprised…" She hesitated and I felt my tongue grow heavy. My chest began to ache already. Why would she ever want to fall in love with me anyways?

She tried again, "I'd be surprised… Surprised if I didn't fall in love with you, Cisco." I turned to look at her, eyes wide and heart pounding like an explosive ready to go off. She smiled, amused with my expression. "You're my best friend and you know me better than anyone. You know all the right things to say and do, I'm almost always happy with you. Except when you piss me off," she earned a chuckle from me there as I let go of the breath I didn't realize I was holding. "I just… I want to take things slow… You know? I want things to work out between us. Does that make sense?"

I was on cloud-nine. My heart would not relax and I was totally fine with embracing a heart attack right then and there. The grin on my face would not relax as I nodded in agreement.

"Totally understand," I told her.

"So… do you understand how I work? My… special ability or whatever, I mean." She asked as I rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb and the large screen next to us started flickering on and off. "I don't know what that stupid screen is doing it… Now that you guys have mentioned it, though, I can feel it… Like I'm attached to it somehow…"

I smiled. _Oh, this could be fun._

I shrugged, "I THINK I understand how it works."

"How?"

"Emotions."

"Excuse me?"

I gave her a mischievous grin before leaning close to her. In one quick motion, our noses were touching and our breathing mingled together. Leaning even closer, I brushed my bottom lip against hers and smiled victoriously when she gasped at the touch. The screen behind her head made a **_SWISH_** noise and a slab of color streaked across the black screen before disappearing again. Leah didn't seem to notice, so I tried again. I gave her a peck on the lip and the light above us flickered. _Probably shouldn't do that… The last thing we need to do is fix another ceiling light…_ Out of curiosity, I moved over to kiss her cheek. The heart monitor that stood untouched next to the hospital bed kicked on. _Interesting._ I moved my lips down and softly kissed her jaw. Her breathing hitched again and one of the desk lamps across the room turned on. I tried hard to fight back my laughter as my curiosity got the best of me. I found a small spot on her neck and placed a slow kiss there. Her skin was soft and I could feel her pulse racing under my lips.

"Cisco!" She gasped and I pulled back just as the lights shut off. I heard her shriek and I felt her hands grab my arm in panic. I sat in the dark with her, shocked at how much I learned just from that little display of affection. _Wait, does that mean…?_ I quickly shook my head before my mind got too ahead of itself. I didn't want to think that far right now. The lights slowly flickered back on again and there was Leah's eyes, only inches away from mine and wide from surprise. "I… I did that… I could feel it…" she whispered in awe.

I grinned like a school boy. "Yeah? How's it feel, pumpkin?"

She gave me a glare although there was a smile on her lips. "Don't call me that."

"Why not?"

"Because I still don't know what the hell Cuddly-Wuddly Pumpkin means."

We both jumped apart from the sound of another voice. We looked over to see Ronnie leaning against the doorframe.

"Yeah, what does Cuddly-Wuddly Pumpkin mean?"

 _Okay, no more pet names._


	15. Metahuman Twins

Leah

"Ronald!" I squealed, releasing Cisco's arm and putting a few feet in between us. "How long have you been standing there?"

He chuckled and shook his head, before walking over and sitting in the chair in front of us. "Long enough…" His face fell then and I my chest felt like it was sinking in on itself at the sight. "Why didn't you guys just tell me?"

I sighed, "Oh, Ronnie." I kneeled down in front of him so he would look me in the eyes. "I just got you back. And you know your opinion means much to me… I was afraid this was going to be like when you found out about me and Drew…"

Ronnie looked surprised for a second, but it was fleeting and disappeared almost as soon as it came. He glanced up at Cisco for a second, probably to avoid my eye contact and I heard Cisco move behind me. I could almost feel the awkwardness between the two of them and I could just picture the sweat running down Cisco's forehead. I didn't need to look at him to know how nervous he was feeling, I was feeling it too.

Then, to my surprise, my brother laughed. And laughed, and laughed, and laughed. I thought for sure he had lost his mind and our news had broken something in that intelligent mind of his as he laughed so hard that his eyes watered. I glanced back at Cisco, very concerned, and his expression mirrored my own.

Finally, Ronnie spoke up, "Gosh, you guys took forever."

The shock of his words could've literally slapped me in the face.

"Wait…. What?"

"I HATED Drew," Ronnie told me.

"I know."

"BUT not because he was dating you. God, no. Leah, I'm your brother, not your dad, you can date whoever you want, and I know that. But I AM your brother. And as your brother, if I think a guy isn't suited for you or doesn't deserve you, I'm going to be hostile towards him!"

My shock was slowly wearing off as everything was fitting together like a little puzzle. "Wait… You mean, the only reason why you hated Drew was not because I liked him, but because I was with him?"

He nodded, "Yeah, that's basically it." He pointed at Cisco. "I've been waiting for this one to step up and get rid of Drew," he exaggeratingly leaned in and loudly whispered so Cisco could also hear, "There's a reason why he's my friend, too. I like this one much more than the last guy."

I had never felt such a rush of relief except for when I got my first hug from Ronnie after he had come back. I could feel it wash over my mind and my heart, and I sighed in relief. I stood up and ran my hands through my hair as I giggled along with Ronnie.

"I just thought you hated the idea of me dating ANYONE, really," I admitted.

He stood up and I had to tilt my head back slightly to see him. Ronnie was about a whole head taller than me, if not two. He patted the top of my head and I closed my eyes, and smiled. He use to do that all the time when we were growing up. It was his little, odd but endearing way of showing affection.

"Nah, I want to be an uncle SOMEDAY," my heart did a flip with my stomach and my face flushed so badly that it hurt. Ronnie shot a glare towards Cisco, "Not any time soon."

"W-wasn't even considering it," Cisco stuttered. If my face was as red as his, then I was a tomato considering my skin is paler than Cisco's.

Ronnie then turned to me with a devilish look in his eye. _Oh, God, here it comes._

"So, have you two-."

"Ronald Raymond," I growled, cutting him off. "Don't."

He laughed and I couldn't help but smile just slightly at the sound. He was always a loud laugher and it boomed through the room we stood in. He patted my head again.

"Just joking." He cleared his throat to show he was done teasing. "But no, seriously, when did this start?"

"Yesterday," Cisco stated.

At the same time, I answered, "About a month or two after you… you know…" Ronnie paused, looking at both of us confused. "Wait… Did you mean when we started liking each other, or…?"

Cisco scoffed, "Oh, well, then mine was WAY before that."

I turned to him, taking in this new bit of information. New to me, anyways. "It was?"

Cisco blushed, "Ignore me, and carry on."

"No, I want to know."

Ronnie folded his arms across his chest, looking amused again. "Me too, I'm curious."

Cisco sighed. "You guys are like an evil duo." Ronnie and I both chuckled. Cisco scratched the back of his neck, nervously. His hand disappearing behind his long, black curls. "I mean… For me, it was when you called me your best friend for the first time…"

My heart skipped a beat and it was pretty painful. I remembered that day, believe it or not. We were in line at Jitters and I couldn't decide on what pastry I wanted with my coffee. Cisco then told me to buy both options and _"this is why you're my best friend"_ just sort of slipped out. I'm not exactly sure when it was that we became the best of best friends, but I had been saying that to him ever since. He liked me for that long? "You… That was like a year before the explosion…. Like three years ago… Why… Why didn't you say anything?"

I could see he was biting the inside of his cheek as he peered down at the ground. The gears shifting in his head as he tried to find an appropriate way to answer. It took a hot second before he looked back up at me, the corners of his mouth pulled upward just a tad.

"I told you, you scare me, woman."

My cheeks felt warm again as I remembered standing outside Professor Stein's house. He told me the same thing just after asking me out. After everything that had happened that morning, it felt like that night had been forever ago. I could feel the sleepiness tug at my eyelids. I smiled slightly and smacked Ronnie's arm as he faked a gag.

"You and Caitlin are just as bad," I pointed out to him.

At the sound of Caitlin's name, Ronnie's playful smile was replaced with a soft, loving one. His eyes were shining with something new. I use to call it puppy love… Now, I'm considering renaming it "true love". I'm no expert at love, but if I had to choose what it looks like, it would be Ronnie's face when he sees or hears Caitlin.

"Yeah, I know," he said, his voice as soft as his smile.

Cisco and I grinned at the love struck man in front of us. He and Caitlin were so meant to be. I had known it the day I met her, although I wasn't very fond of her then. She was all he talked about for days on end and I finally convinced Ronnie to introduce me to her. I had never met her before, but after he went on about her for about three months, I knew they had to have been seeing each other. When my brother falls, he falls hard.

 _Ronnie led me into STAR Labs and I was as excited as I would have been if it was comic-con. I wore a nice summer dress because the weather had been on Central City's side that day and if I were to run into my idol, Harrison Wells, I had to look just right. I had always been jealous of Ronnie getting the chance to work at STAR Labs, but I honestly knew he also deserved every bit of it._

 _Caitlin had her hair tied back and her makeup done just right. Everything about her screamed that she was an organized, tidy person and that scared me. Ronnie was not neat and clean, what if she tried to change him? What if she became one of those controlling girlfriends that you hear about on the news after they kill their boyfriend for making a small mistake?_

Okay, so I had been paranoid then. But it could've happened! However, Caitlin treated me so kindly… I was kind of ready to smack the smile off her face that day. Of course, now looking back on it, I was so being a bitch and I feel awful for it.

" _Hi! I'm Caitlin!" She had stuck out her hand but I crossed my arms over my chest, refusing to take it._

 _"Leah, come on," Ronnie pleaded._

 _I turned my head to look at him as he stood beside me, but I could've been invisible for all he knew. He was staring at her in such a loving way, that I knew it was going to be okay. It was okay for me to accept her. She wasn't going to ruin anything. She wasn't going to hurt Ronnie or try to be controlling and take the only family member I have from me. This was okay, and I was okay with that as soon as I saw his face._

 _Hesitating, I took her hand which she still had outstretched. She finally ripped her eyes away from Ronnie and looked at me, surprised._

 _"I'm Leah," I told her, my voice still on edge, ready to throw my guard back up if I felt it needed to be._

 _She just smiled at me, though. "It's nice to finally meet you."_

It wasn't long after that, that Wells had approached us. He somehow knew who I was right away (probably because Ronnie and I are twins, duh) and asked me a few questions. Yes, I fangirled, like really badly, but he was my living idol, and he was talking to me! I answered all he wanted to know enthusiastically, and then? He gave me a job. Right there, in front of my brother and his girlfriend, he gave me a job. So, what did I do? I got rid of the job I was currently working (a photographer for a magazine) and accepted Harrison Wells' proposition.

Then I met Cisco and… Well, you know the rest, that's why we're here.

"So," Ronnie spoke up, ready to change the subject, "Metahuman twins, huh?"

"It's intriguing, you two are identical twins- as identical as you can be with being different genders, at least- but your power isn't nearly close to being relevant to that." Cisco started to ramble. I tried to hide the smile I got from listening to him. "I was wondering; why aren't your powers anything alike? How does that affect your DNA? I mean, I'm surprised you powers aren't alike, or even better- opposites like fire and ice!"

Ronnie chuckled, "Alright, Cisco. Don't get too excited there. You'll get lost in your head and we'll never get you back." I laughed along with my twin.

Time Skip

It was several more hours before Cisco and I left STAR Labs. Caitlin stitched ten stitches into my arm and six into Cisco's temple. After that, we went to Big Belly Burger with Barry and we ordered food and took it back to Cisco's place. Barry and I took up most of Cisco's couch as we spread our legs out onto the cushions, stretching out our stiff muscles. Cisco threatened to sit on our legs at one point, but one look at my arm and cheek, he sat on the floor nearest to me instead. Barry had already ate his meal before I even got halfway through mine.

"What are we going to watch?" Barry asked, looking around the couch for the remote.

"Heard they're playing another Harry Potter movie marathon," Cisco told us.

I gasped, setting down my food as I finished. "Then we have to watch it!"

They both chuckled. "Well, yeah," Barry agreed before adding, "Maybe, if we can find this remote. Dude, don't you have a tracker on the remote or something?"

My mind wandered to the television then. _Metahuman, huh?_ The best way to describe it is having this invisible connection with anything that has energy surging through it. I closed my eyes and I could feel the electricity run from the outlet into the cord, and straight into the back of the television. It's quick, almost as fast as Barry. As I picture it in my mind, it's almost like I can feel it in my veins. It fills me up like the blood that runs through me, and it's warm.

I opened my eyes and the lamps on the coffee table next to us flickered just slightly. I sighed, that's not what I want. I could feel the boys looking at me, both of them had gone still and silent as I tried again. I focused my eyes on the television, trying to focus my mental energy on that. My eyes searched the screen; it was black and I could see my reflection in it, the screen was approximately eighteen inches long from what I could tell and it was a flat screen. Probably one Cisco made, I had no doubt. The buttons lined the bottom of the television; change channel button, volume button, power button… I imagined pressing the power button in my mind.

I jumped just slightly as the screen flickered on and Scooby Doo was running from a ghost. _Whoa._ I really did it, I did that.

I heard someone chuckle and I looked at Cisco and Barry to see them staring at the television in awe. Barry's jaw had dropped in surprise, Cisco's eyes were lit up like a Christmas tree. Both were chuckling hysterically.

Cisco then turned to me, something like pride written all over his face, "Look at you!"

I could feel my cheeks warm up and I looked away, trying to hide a smile. "It isn't too hard now that I know it's something I can do… It's not really easy, either…" I yawned then, covering my mouth with a heavy hand and feeling my eyelids fall just slightly.

"It is getting a little late," Barry pointed out, checking the clock on the wall. "I should get going. Both of you need sleep, you guys are probably exhausted."

 _That's an understatement,_ I thought but was too sleepy to say it out loud. I just nodded my head, letting it fall to the side on the back of the couch. I heard him chuckle and lean forward to give me a quick hug. From my half-open eyes, I saw Barry and Cisco exchange a quick hug and a "see you later" before Barry headed out the door.

"Are you going to sleep there?" Cisco chuckled, coming over and taking the fries from my hand and setting them on the coffee table. I nodded just as Cisco shook his head, "Yeah, no. Come on." Before I could protest, he started tugging gently on my good arm. "Come on, mi amor. Let's get you into bed, I'll tuck you in." I made a little whimpering noise, finding it hard to even lift my head as I closed my eyes completely. I heard him give another sigh. At the moment, I had wished I had telepathy rather than some super computer brain, or whatever.

"Oh, don't give me that," he said. I felt him lean forward and press a warm kiss to my forehead. _That just makes me more sleepy,_ I wanted to say, instead I kept my eyes closed and held the sleeve of his shirt in my hand, hoping he wouldn't leave anytime soon. I hated sleeping without his warmth. "Mi, amor, come on," he tried again, his voice sounding much further away than last time. I felt his head bury itself in my neck and a small smile tugged on my lips as his hair tickled my nose. I still didn't move though. "Alright, you left me with no other choice," I felt him tuck an arm under my torso and another under my knees before lifting me up.

Suddenly, I was very much awake. "Cisco!" I wrapped my arms around his neck frantically as I felt his chest rumble. I shot a glare up at him as he laughed. "Not funny… Don't drop me!"

"Wouldn't even dream of it," he told me and I noticed how he tighter his grip on me just a little. It made my heart race and my cheeks flush. He walked over and set me down on top of his bed and I let him tuck me in. "I'm going to jump in the shower, you get some sleep." He leaned down to give me a peck on the cheek, but I turned my head to catch his lips. I giggled as he pulled back, looking surprised at first. "Well, aren't you sneaky?" He asked before leaning down and giving me a proper kiss this time.

It was sweet but anything but light this time. The emotion he put in it made my brain go fuzzy and I was sure if I was standing, I would've fallen over. It made my toes tingle and warmth spread all along my veins. It was almost the same feeling as when the technology surges through my blood. My eyes were closed so I couldn't see the lights flickering, but I could feel it. My whole body was against the energy and was trying to shut it off. _Oh, I see. It's a distraction._ I didn't notice it until the lights turned off, but the feeling of the electricity was always there, it was always surging through my veins, until the lights went out. Once the lights were out, it was like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.

Cisco pulled back from our heated kiss just for a second to ask, "Was that you?"

Breathless and blushing, I replied, "It was distracting…"

He chuckled, his face lighting up with the biggest smile that I could only see from the streetlight pouring through the open window. "Can I get in the shower now?"

I shook my head, "Two more minutes," I told him before grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him back down to me again. My lips were hasty against his, wanting more of his warmth and feeling as though I couldn't get close enough to the amount I want. His kisses were soft and sweet though, and before I knew it, he was leading it; soft, small kisses that led one after another. One hand on my waist and the other against my neck, he trailed his small kisses from my lips to my jaw, and down my neck.

It wasn't until I tried to pull him closer that he pulled away. "I really want to get in the shower, I'll be back," he told me, placing a kiss on my forehead before leaving me there.

With a small frown, I rolled onto my side, and closed my eyes. _Fine, I'll wait till you get back._ I rested my head against one of the pillows and let my mind wander. So much had happened that day… Was I going to wake up and realize it was all a crazy dream?

I was so lost in my sleepy thoughts that I didn't realize how much time passed until the bed shifted as Cisco climbed in under the covers with me. Moving my bad arm slightly so he didn't touch it, he brushed the hair away from my shoulder and placed a kiss at my neck again, his hair was still a little damp as it fell against my shoulder. His kisses and touch were so warm, though. I found his hand and intertwined our fingers before bringing it up to my head to let it rest beside me on the pillow. I shifted my legs over and tangled them up with his, tucking my cold feet under his. His whole body was radiating heat from the hot shower he just took, he smelled amazing too. I giggled slightly as I felt him flinch at the frozen contact of my feet. I laid my cheek on top of our hands.

I couldn't see him past my close eyelids, but I could feel him looking at me. I could hear his breathing and feel it blow against my cheek. I felt him brush his lips gently against my cheek and my nose before he rested his head on my pillow, pressing his forehead against mine.

"Sweet dreams, mi amor," I heard him whisper.

I still don't know what caused me to tell him I wanted to take it slow earlier that day. It was just the reality of it all had hit me all at once… I was also still feeling quite guilty about the car accident. What if I was dangerous? What if I go evil? Would that put me against Barry? Would Cisco help to lock me up?

Anyways, slow is overrated. I had already fallen, hard. I was already in love. I could feel it in the warmth that remained with me as I fell into deep slumber.


	16. Nightmares

Leah

I felt like a robot with all the wires Caitlin had attached to me. There were some taped to the back of my hands, some on my forehead against my temples, I even had some snaked up my shirt to press against my chest. They were cold like icicles and I flinched at each one Caitlin put on me.

Ronnie stood not too far from us, watching the two of us as Caitlin coaxed me into each knew monitor. He snickered at me, "Oh, quit complaining." He had his large arms folded across his chest.

"Shut up." I was sitting on that familiar hospital bed again, with my feet dangling off the edge, and letting Caitlin do whatever it is she had to do.

"You know, Professor Stein and I have already done this-."

"Again, shut up." He continued to laugh as he turned around to avoid the sight of Caitlin taping holter monitors to my chest.

Except Barry walked in at that moment with a clipboard in hand, his eyes focused on whatever it was he had on that paper, "Caitlin, look at this-." He peered up and his eyes quickly caught Caitlin's arm up my shirt. Probably looks weird when someone walks in, oblivious to what is going on… "You know… I don't know if this is a turn-on or…"

I reached over to grab the pillow off the hospital bed and I chucked it at him as Caitlin and Ronnie sternly told him to get out. He said something about how my training was doing well before speeding out of the room, the pillow just barely missing him and flying across the other side of the room at the impact of his velocity.

It had been two weeks since I found out I was a metahuman and things were just getting started. Caitlin had promised that we'd have this all figured out before Christmas, but with Christmas being only a week away, I wasn't too sure she even believed that. I didn't complain TOO MUCH, though. The more I knew about what I could do, the more chance I have to control it before it causes anymore harm.

It didn't take long for me to figure out how controlling the lighting works. Before we knew it, I was easily turning the ceiling lights and the desk lights on and off whenever I wanted. Controlling other electronic devices was a bit harder; turning televisions or computers on and off usually resulted in them exploding before my eyes. Sometimes I would get lucky, like if I was at Cisco's place and I was able to turn the t.v. on easily, and Cisco and I would settle down on the couch and watch a couple of episodes. Time goes by and I get sleepy; Cisco would ask me to turn off the t.v. if I was going to take a nap, but my exhausted mind would fail me and it resulted in Cisco having to buy a new television twice, and fix the one he already had too many times to count.

The one thing we couldn't figure out though was what was going on when I touched certain technical devices. I had that fallout with the computer the morning of Dante's birthday, but what had happened that day was never solved. And now, the incident was becoming more of a problem. I couldn't touch a computer or a cellphone without those green letters and numbers charging at me again. It was quite terrifying and it was the worst part of training.

"Okay, Leah, now I'm going to have you focus on this, alright?" She placed a laptop in front of me as usual, perched on a table. "Focus your mind on what you want from it,"

"I know," I mumbled, feeling moody. We had been training for a while now, my head was beginning to hurt. I peered down at the computer, knowing exactly what was going to happen next, because it always went down the same way. I reached out and trailed my fingers along the edge of the computer; in that instant, the green numbers and letters formed all around me. My heart rate picked up immensely with my widen eyes as I tried to follow the quick pace of the words trying to form in front of me. It all happens so fast; letters and numbers flying in front of my face and trying to form words or codes. I was literally uploading files in my mind, I just didn't know how to control it. Like usual, when my mind grew weary and I couldn't handle the face pace anymore, I would blink and let out a whimper. Then the green forms (somehow knowing when I felt like giving up) would rush straight at me. It was like a terrifying 3D effect and I always screamed and jumped back to try to get away from the inevitable.

This time, I reared back, shoving the table in front of me and having the laptop crash to the ground with a loud clatter. I tipped off the edge of the bed and landed on my side, gripping my head in my hands. I don't know why it scared me. Maybe because I know I can't control it? It's beyond me. Just another thing I can't control, and it truly frightens me.

"Leah, it's alright!" I heard Ronnie's voice call out and I looked up to see him kneeling in front of me, his hands held out as if he wanted to grab me, but was afraid to. Of course, he'd be afraid to touch me, why wouldn't he? "Leah?"

"S-sorry…" I didn't let go of the tight hold on my head as my headache grew in large throbs. It almost felt like my head was swelling. "I… I have a headache…"

I could see Caitlin looking concerned a little bit away. She bit her bottom lip and wrote something down on paper. Ronnie didn't seem to notice, though. He just gave me a nod of his head and took ahold of my arm to help me up.

"I think you earned yourself a nap," he told me. "How about you go lie down?"

I nodded, "Right." Too tired and too much in pain to argue, I walked away. I found one of the abandoned rooms in the back that we use for storage and sat on one of the cots. My head still in my hands, I sat there and listened to the silence. What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I get ahold of this?

I jumped in surprise as someone cleared their throats and I turned to see someone I didn't expect. "Felicity?" She stood in a knee-high blue dress with her glasses perched on the middle of her nose. I almost flinched at the sight of a laptop tucked under her arm. She smiled at me. "Felicity, what are you doing here? I didn't know you were coming to town!"

I had met Felicity Smoak a few months back when Barry was under a coma. She came and helped me with fixing STAR Labs up and other than Caitlin, she was one of the very few girls that I was comfortable with talking to. All the other girls I have met were more into partying and boys… I use to party occasionally, but now I'm always exhausted and cluttered with work, so I don't make time for that. And I also have my own man now, so screw boys.

 _Speaking of, where is he? I haven't seen Cisco all day…_

Finally Felicity spoke up, walking over and sitting on the cot next to me, "Barry called us in, said you all could use a little help. You know, with that metahuman around and that one creep going after your brother and all."

"Right…" I sighed, bringing my head back to my hands. I had almost forgotten about Eiling. Or Sergent Eiling. Whatever the hell you want to call him. Apparently, when Cisco and I first found Ronnie and Professor Stein, we weren't the only one looking for "the burning man." Except we wanted to help them, Eiling just wanted to use them for their powers. As I thought about it, I realized what she said, "Wait… who is 'us'?"

Her eyes seemed to sparkle with an excitement that I usually only saw from her when she was hacking a computer. She bit her bottom lip before saying, "We're friends, right?"

"Of course."

She grinned wide, "And can you keep a secret?"

Time Skip

I couldn't believe I was sitting in a chair across from The Arrow and staring him down. He wore a green outfit and I knew Cisco would want to improve it, if he were here. Seriously, where is he? He had a mask on and wouldn't reveal his identity because he hates me and wants me to keep guessing. So I did.

"Who are you really?" I asked as I stared him down

He sat in the chair, facing me with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were just barely visible through the mask and they were about as blue as mine. His outfit didn't reveal much, but I could still see the muscles in his arms and chest. I may or may not have had to remind myself of Cisco every now and then to keep my eyes on Arrow's and not his body. He just chuckled and shook his head, though his expression remained serious.

"Oh, come on! Felicity knows, Barry knows, why can't I know?"

"Because too many people already know. Besides, it wouldn't be a secret identity if I told you, would it?" He explained.

I gasped. "Does Cisco know too?"

He looked confused for a second before asking, "Short dude, always wear memes on his shirts, and quotes movies a lot?"

I tried to hold back a laugh, but couldn't hold the grin that spread across my face. "That's him."

He gave a quick nod of his head. "Unfortunately, yes."

"And he hasn't told me?!"

"Why are you surprised? You his girlfriend or something?"

"Actually, yes."

I could've sworn I saw him smile for a split second. "Oh. Good for him."

There was a sigh from the other side of the room where Wells sat, slouched in his wheelchair, looking highly annoyed. He rubbed the side of his head. "Are you two done yet?"

I shook my head frantically and turned back to The Arrow, "No. He hasn't told me who he is, yet."

"You're lucky you're cute." Arrow told me.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I squealed, slightly offended but also oddly excited that The Arrow thought I was cute.

He chuckled then, taking me by surprise. "You talk as much as Cisco does. No wonder why he likes you."

I could feel myself blush and I quickly averted my eyes from his gaze. "He's my best friend… Hey! I don't talk a lot!" He laughed at that.

"So you're the girl he talked about that one time," he was still chuckling as he leaned further into his seat to get comfortable. He must have saw I was confused, for he went on to explain, "Last time I was here was a week or two after your guys incident, you know, before the "metahumans"," he bent his fingers twice around the word, "and that's when I met your boyfriend. I was watching him fix up one of the computers and he kept telling me that the others would've loved to have been here to meet me. He mostly talked about this girl who found The Arrow so cool, like him, and that she would die to be here. Except she was dealing with some family issues…" I looked back at him, just as he added, "I'm glad your brother is okay now."

"Define okay. Because right now, he's in hiding from some insane military Sergeant who wants to use him for war so that his percentage of winning will increase, if not be certain."

"True. But he's alive."

I peered over at Ronnie, he was talking to Caitlin in the other room, but we could see them through the door that was slightly ajar. They were smiling and just chatting away, it seemed. He seemed so happy. And he was alive.

"True," I said, mimicking what he said. I turned to The Arrow again, "SO, what's your real identity?" He just laughed and shook his head.

Changing the subject, he asked, "So, where is Cisco?"

"You know… I actually don't know." I spun my office chair to face Wells, "Do you know where Cisco is?"

"He's been in his lab for hours."

"Doing what?"

"No idea."

Time Skip

As I stepped into Cisco's main work area, I could see him slouched over a table, reading some stacks of paper. Curious, I walked over and stood behind him, looking over his shoulder.  
"What are you reading?" I asked when I couldn't get a good look.

He practically jumped a good two feet high and gave a girly squeal. However, when he turned to see it was me- hunched over and laughing- he relaxed and sighed in relief. I continued to laugh until I got a good look at his face; he had dark circles under his eyes and they were a bit bloodshot at the corners. I didn't like the look of the frown plastered on his face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," I apologized, reading out and rubbing his upper arms soothingly. He nodded and ran a hand through his hair. He was hiding something. Frowning, I asked, "Hey, what's wrong?"

He shook his head, "I'm just tired."

"Already? It's only noon…"

He shrugged his shoulders and lazily placed his hands on my waist as I continued to rub his arms. His eyes drooped slightly in exhaustion. "I haven't been sleeping well."

Lately, we had been sleeping separately. My place was becoming a mess as I was packing my things away, I had just found a new apartment and was leaving Caitlin's apartment so her and Ronnie could have some more time alone. Also hoping that Cisco and I could have alone time, too. Except, I've been so busy with the move, that he hasn't slept over at my place- nor I at his- in a while. And although the dark circles under his eyes highlighted the truth in his statement, I couldn't help but think there was more to it.

"Is that all?" I questioned as I reached behind him to take one of the papers he was reading. In bold letters, it read **"The Man in the Yellow Suit,"** and I peered up at him, confused.

Cisco shook his head. "Just another metahuman running lose and causing problems."

I felt a lump form in my throat and a sickening feeling in my stomach. I couldn't help but frown as I place the newspaper back on the desk. Another one? How many problems did we need? First, the girl who blows shit up, then Sergeant Eiling, and now some dude in a yellow suit. What if the others become too distracting and something happens to Ronnie while we're busying with Ms. Explosions or Yellow Dude? _Okay, THIS is why Cisco comes up with the names and not you._

"Hey," I came back to reality as Cisco brushed his fingers across my cheek. His touch sent a shock across my skin and I could feel my face flush slightly. "We're going to be okay."

I smiled to show that I wasn't worried, although that's a huge lie. "Well, I think we would be better if you were getting better sleep," then I teased, "Can't sleep without me, huh?" He chuckled as I leaned against him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around my waist and I smiled at his laugh.

He shook his head, "I do sleep better with you beside me…" Then there was that frown again.

"Cisco…" I breathed, "What aren't you telling me?"

He sighed. "I mainly can't sleep because of the… Nightmares…"

"Nightmares?"

"Yeah, but… They feel so real… and…." I felt him shudder and he shook his head as though trying to get rid of the feeling. I frowned as he added, "They're terrifying."

"Well, what happens?" His eyes went dark for a second as if I wasn't there. "Cisco?"

He took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh, "Well, last night… It was about Wells…"

"What about him?" I encouraged, moving the hair out of his face.

He looked at me and I could almost feel the pain in his expression. _What happened, Cisco? Why are you so scared?_ The frown on my face matched his as he just looked at me. I searched his eyes for something, anything as he struggled for words.

"Don't laugh," he told me.

I shook my head, "I won't."

"He was a speedster."

That brought me up short. That was the last thing I thought he was going to tell me.

"A speedster?" I repeated. "Our Wells? Our Dr. Wells? Man in the wheelchair?"

"You promised not to laugh."

"I'm not," I pointed out, "I'm just confused."

"There's more…" There was that pained expression again before he told me, "I was doing something… I don't know, I think I was watching Ronnie on the screen in the main lab, and… I was also doing research on the Man in the Yellow Suit. It was picture of him that one of the security cameras caught… That's when Wells came in and… He told me he was the man. In the yellow suit. Then, he told me he killed Barry's mom… And then he killed me."

It felt like time had stopped then. There was something about the statement that was so… I don't even know. It was impossible! Wells was in a wheelchair. Wells didn't know Barry when his mother was killed, it was fifteen years ago. And why would he kill Barry's mom? Granted, no one (not even Barry who saw it happened) understood how Barry's mom died, and that's why Barry's father was accused and arrested… But how could it have been Wells?

I shook my head in disbelief, "Oh… Dreams are weird…"

Cisco shook his head along with me, before correcting me. "Nightmare." He cleared his throat and ran his hand through his dark hair again, "I don't know, Lele… It was weird… His hand… It vibrated and then he stuck it through my chest…"

I looked down at his shirt, it was a simple black t-shirt with the word "As you wish" on the front. I love Princess Bride. I unraveled one of my arms from around his neck and placed a hand on his chest, just above his heart. I frowned as he literally flinched at the gesture.

"Right here?" I asked. He nodded. "Well… It's a good thing it was a dream, right?" His frown deepened and he looked away. "Hey… I wouldn't let anything happen to you, you know? I may not be good with my powers, but I would use them against anyone who tried to hurt you, even Wells." He glanced back at me, "Besides, Wells loves you. We all do. We're all a large… Dysfunctional family here." That earned me a small smile.

"But Leah…" His smile faded and his eyes went distant again as if he was thinking, "What if it wasn't a dream?"

"What do you mean?"

He took me by surprise by randomly asking, "Is that a new shirt?"

I peered down at the yellow top I was wearing, confused. "This? Actually, it's Caitlin's. It was cute and she let me borrow it…"

He shook his head, his eyebrows furrowed as if he was in deep thought. "Have you ever wore it before?"

"Well… No."

He looked up at me with slightly wider eyes. "Then why were you wearing that exact same top in my dream?"

I was surprised, then. I had never wore this top before… Right?

"I… I don't know… Coincidence? Maybe you've seen Caitlin wear it before and your mind just put the two together?" It even sounded suspicious to me as I said it out loud.

"Okay, I know I have a weird mind, but it's not that weird. I don't picture you in Caitlin's clothes.

I couldn't help but giggle, "Sure you don't."

He chuckled alongside me, "I like when you wear MY shirts, why the hell would I want to picture you in someone else's clothes?"

I shrugged, teasing, "No idea. You tell me… By the way, you left your jacket at my place. I found it while packing."

"I thought you like that jacket."

"I do."

"That's why I left it there."

"Awe," I wrapped my arms around his waist to press myself closer to him, "Just what every girl wants: her boyfriend's jacket. Well, thank you." I quickly kissed his cheek.

He smiled, but I could tell he wasn't really there. His mind was elsewhere. He reached up and tucked some hair behind my ear. "What if it wasn't a dream, Leah?"

"What else could it be?" I sighed, laying my head against his shoulder.

He wrapped his arms around my arms and gave me a light squeeze. I cringed at the sound of fear in his voice as he replied, "No idea…" I hated to see him torturing over this. He was definitely staying at my place to night. _I could make him a nice tea to help lull him to sleep._

I nuzzled my nose into his shirt. "How about we take this day by day? If the nightmares get worse, then we'll worry about it. But I think you're just stressed. Let's just focus on one thing at a time, okay?"

Before he could reply, we heard someone clear their throat by the doorway. We both jumped apart and looked over to see Felicity standing, leaning against the doorframe. She had that smirk on her face, the "I caught you two, lovebirds," look that I get from Caitlin every now and then. I couldn't help but blush. Why's everyone got to be a tease about it?

"Um, Caitlin asked me to come get you two," she informed us, adjusting the glasses on her nose. "We have a situation in the main lab…"

Cisco sighed, "That doesn't sound good."

She made a face and shrugged, "Define good."


	17. The Right Colors

Cisco

I followed Leah into the main lab and almost smacked right into her when she stopped. I step to the side to see what she was staring at and I almost squealed again. It was the woman who blew up the Humvees on the highway.

"What is she doing here?" I asked, my voice an octave higher than usual.

"It's okay," Barry told me, "I brought her here!"

"Why?" Leah questioned, she seemed to be in as much as shocked as I was, her bright blue eyes wide with worry.

"She's not a bad guy," Ronnie stated. "She's running from Eiling, just like me."

The woman nodded, "He wants to use my powers…"

"There seems to be a lot of that going around," Barry mumbled, fixing that the collar of his shirt.

"Dude," that's when I noticed it, "Why aren't you wearing your suit? What about your secret identity?" Everyone seemed to give concerned glances at each other, then. Felicity coughed as though trying to ignore the weird tension in the air. The woman practically physically folded in as if she was guilty of something and Ronnie discreetly covered a smirk behind his hand. Barry scratched the back of his neck and Caitlin's eyes went wide. Wells seemed to be the only one who didn't react and Leah just looked as confused as I was. "What?"

"It's gone," Caitlin explained.

Confused and very concerned, I turned to Barry, "What does she mean?"

"It blew up, dude," Barry stated quickly as if ripping the Band-Aid off quickly, "It went kaboom."

"My suit… went… kaboom?" I whimpered. But all of my hard work! Gone.

"Sorry," a quiet voice said. I turned to see the woman staring down at her hands. "I can't control it… Anything I touch, just…"

"Goes kaboom?" Leah finished for her.

She nodded. "Yeah."

Leah bit her bottom lip before saying, "That's alright."

"It is?" I cried out.

"Will you be nice?" She snapped, giving me a short glare. It disappeared almost as quickly as it came when she asked, "Don't you have two others in storage?"

"Yeah, but they'll need modifications…" I explained. "Besides, that was my favorite one."

She tried to hide the small smile that escaped her lips as she shook her head. "I'll help you."

"Well, if you two are done being cute, I'd like to run some test on you if that's alright, Bette?" Caitlin suggested, turning to the woman.

Bette hesitated a second before nodding. "Yeah, okay… Can… Can you fix me?"

Caitlin smiled at Ronnie, who returned the gesture. "We'll definitely try." We watched as they disappeared into the next room. Wells went back to doing whatever on the computer.

"Cisco, can I talk to you?" Barry spoke up then. "Alone?"

I glanced at Leah who seemed a little offended. She gave Barry an upset look and I couldn't help but laugh. I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and she turned her attention to me, probably wanting me to say something to Barry. She was such a curious person.

"Don't worry, it's probably just something about Iris, you know?" I told her quietly, poking fun of Barry's crush on Joe West's daughter. "I'll meet you back in my workroom, alright?" She stalled for a second and let out a disappointed sigh, probably wanting to argue and stay. But with a small movement of her bottom lip forming in a little pouting motion, she turned on her heel and left the room. I turned my attention back to Barry who walked up to me. "What's up, dude?"

"I know I'm already asking a lot for needing a new suit and all, but…" He hesitated, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"What is it? What do you need?"

"Well… Not what I need necessarily…" When I still stood there, lost as ever, he went on, "I was wondering if you'd make another suit… But not for me…"

My eyebrows traveled up my forehead even more, "Who else needs a suit? Bette? Oh, that'd be cool! See, I was thinking something dark purple—because everything she touches shines purple before-,"

I didn't get to finish before he cut me off, "Um, no… I didn't mean Bette…"

"Ronnie?" I guessed again. "I'm already working on that one, you know that. He has to stop burning his clothes eventually, right?"

Barry sighed, looking slightly agitated as he rubbed the bridge of his nose between his fingers. ""I wasn't talking about Ronnie either…" He finally looked back up at me and took a shaky breath before telling me, "I meant for Leah."

I don't know why my heart rammed into my chest, but it did. "What?"

He smiled nervously as he explained, "Here me out, okay? She's been doing great with her powers lately! And if she decides to do field work like me—"

"That's what you're calling it? Field work?" I spit, feeling slightly defensive.

"If she decides to be out there, fighting villains like me—"

"She wouldn't!"

"IF she did… I think she needs a disguise… This General Eiling guy is obviously trying to recruit metahumans that would do his bidding and he's already after Ronnie. If he finds out about Leah and her powers—"

"He won't," I growled, feeling angry. I clenched my fist tightly to keep control of my temper. "Because she's not going out there! It's too dangerous."

"Ronnie and I go out there!" Barry pointed out.

"You two are different!"

I regretted saying it as soon as I did. Barry practically reared back in surprise, hurt crossing his face just slightly before he masked it again with an expressionless face.

"Yeah, okay…" He cleared his throat, "You know what? Just forget I mentioned it."

"Barry… Wait." I sighed as he walked around me and out of the room. How could he not understand? Leah was amazing, I knew that, but her powers were just developing. What if she got herself killed out there while trying to help Barry? Or if she got herself hurt and I wasn't there to help her? I would hate myself.

However, while I watched Leah work in my office, I came to the notion that this wasn't about me. I sat in my office chair, right across the desk from her and watched as she was bent over, working on something that I obviously wasn't paying attention to. If she knew I was staring, she sure didn't show it. Her dark hair was falling over her work, but she didn't let it stop her; she bit her bottom lip as she intently focused on her work.

I was startled out of staring when she spoke up and broke the silence, "Why do you keep staring? Do I have something on my face?" She glanced up at me then and gave me a teasing smile. It always makes my cheeks turn red.

I shook my head and ran my hands down my face as I replied, "Of course not."

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing."

Her face fell, "Is this still about the nightmare?"

"No," I answered honestly. Actually, what Barry had said before made me forget about that for a hot second. I was too worried about what I was going to do next. "I actually have a question for you."

She rolled her eyes, "You know I hate when you do that. It gives me anxiety. Just ask me and I'll tell you what you want to know."

"Are you going to help Barry?" I blurted out.

I could tell I caught her by surprise as she blinked a few times, trying to comprehend what I just asked. I immediately felt bad at the way I had asked my question when she spoke in a tiny voice, "Sorry… I didn't know I wasn't much help lately…"

"No, no! God, no! That's not what I meant!" I quickly assured her. "I mean… with your powers. Are you like going to go out and..?" I shrugged before finishing, "Be some badass superhero, I guess."

"Oh…" There was a slight pause as I watched her mull over it. "I don't know… I'm not much of a badass." She giggled.

I couldn't help but grin at the sound of her laughter. "You look like you could be a badass," I admitted.

"Oh, how so?"

"Eh, you're hot so you could be either or. Don't get me wrong, I love your geeky-chess-girl side—that's really hot—but you could pull off supermodel, too, definitely."

She laughed at that and my smile grew wider. "Oh, shut up."

"I'm serious! Have you ever looked in the mirror?"

She laughed a few more minutes before making a face, almost as if she didn't like that compliment. "Would that make Ronnie a supermodel, too?"

As soon as I realized what she was talking about, I mimicked her expression of disgust, "Oh, don't do that. Don't compare yourself to Ronnie when I tell you that you're hot."

"Uh, hello! He is my twin!"

My sides were hurting from laughing so much, "Quit it! That's weird!"

"Calling me hot is weird!"  
"I'm your boyfriend!"

I love how there's always a dust of pink on her cheeks when I say that out loud. She tries to brush it aside with a roll of her eyes. "No excuses."

I chuckled. "I think that's a good excuse," I admitted as I went back to the gloves on the desk in front of me that had gone forgotten for the past hour.

She shrugged briefly before adding, "I don't know… Honestly, I'm still scared of my powers…"

"Scared?"

I nodded, "I still don't know how to control them…"

"You will."

"What are you doing with those?" She suddenly asked, obviously hopeful to change the subject to a lighter topic.

I shrugged and played along, "Trying to fix them up to help Bette. Hopefully when I'm done with them, she'll be able to touch things without… Well, you know, KABOOM."

I saw something flash in her eyes and she cringed up her nose, "Oh."

I tilted my head questioningly, my hair falling past my shoulder when I did. "What? That didn't sound like a good "oh.""

She took a deep breath and shook her head, going back to her work. "Nothing, nothing."

"Uh-uh, don't do that. Don't lie," I told her, setting the gloves down and leaning slightly forward on the desk, trying to gain her gaze again, "You're bad at that."

Leah shrugged and there was a slight pause. I figured for a second that she was going to let it slide and I was about to complain again, when she said, "She could be a badass."

That wasn't what I was expecting. I raised an eyebrow again. "Who?"

"Bette. She looks like a badass."

"You think? It's probably because of the leather jacket." Then I remembered what I had said just a few seconds earlier and shook my head, "I don't know. I think my girlfriend looks much hotter. She'd pull off anything better than Bette."

Leah blushed an even brighter pink then and rolled her eyes, "Whatever."

"Hey. Don't make me come over there and prove it."

She giggled before throwing a pen my way, it landed in my lap as she told me, "Oh, just go back to work, dweeb."

I laughed, "Did you just call me a dweeb?"

"You are one."

I smiled and playfully rolled my eyes, "You're the dweeb."

She smiled, thinking I didn't notice.

Time Skip

I drew outlines on paper as Leah got up to leave. She told me she was going to check and see how Caitlin and Ronnie were doing with Bette. I simply nodded and I scribbled my ideas down in the notebook. I wasn't much of an artsy person, but I wanted it to be perfect. Maybe I'm not completely on board with it, but if I'm going to do it, it's going to be perfect.

I dug out the colored pencils I had in one of the drawers near me and pulled the color out. _No purple._ I moved the purple pencil aside, keeping it handing for Bette's suit, which I was going to design next. _And not black._ I tossed the black pencil aside since Ronnie's suit was already black. I bit my lip and looked between the red and green pencil. I loved the color red, which is why I had made Barry's suit red from the very beginning. However, red didn't quite suit her powers, did it? Red went along well with Barry's lightening, but I needed something that screams computers and science.

I moved the red aside and peered down at the blue and green. I sighed. _It's got to be perfect._ _She deserves nothing less. She looks nice in blue… But that makes me think of like water powers… Green is Oliver's color, though… But it does remind me of technology… Maybe gray too?_

So, I picked the darkest green color I had and a dark silver and began coloring in the costume. Hopefully, Leah will like it, if she decides to use it.


	18. Merry Christmas

Leah

Christmas Eve came quickly. The busy last minute shopping and decorating was all done the night before and all of my furniture was finally set in my new place. Cisco had even helped me set up my little Christmas tree by my plush couch. Luckily for me, the apartment also wasn't too far from Cisco's place. Although I had my new place all set up and pretty, I had spent that night at Cisco's, making up for lost time.

We were discussing what we got for everyone when Cisco asked what I got him. "I'm not telling you!" That resulted in a tickle war to try and get the answer out of me, of course; but I was persistent and insisted on not telling. When that didn't work, his kisses found other ways to tease me. I giggled as he pulled me onto his lap; the only sound was the smack of his lips against my lips and skin and the whispering of voices on the forgotten television.

I bit down on my bottom lip as he continued his way down my neck. Tilting my head back slightly and closing my eyes, I mumbled, "This isn't fair."

He chuckled against my neck and it tickled. His lips found my pulse and I bit down on my tongue to keep from making any noise as he gently grazed my skin with his teeth. "I just wanted to know what the present was," he pointed out to defend himself, "This could've been prevented if you had just told me what it was!"

I laughed as he maneuvered to lay me on the couch and position himself over me, careful not to crush me. His teeth grazed my earlobe and my body shivered at its own accord. I could feel his warm breath against my ear and his heart beating rapidly against my chest, matching the pace of my own heart. I ran my hands through his hair as his lips traveled even farther. It wasn't until he found a sensitive spot above my collarbone that I let out the moan I had been trying to hold in. My eyes widen and I held my breath as I felt Cisco freeze up. Dammit. I had never actually done that before, I was usually really good at keeping my noises to myself because I wasn't sure if it would make it weird. _Fuck, fuck, fuck, so made it weird. Good going, Leah._ It was agony to lie there and wait for a reaction from him.

And it was shocking to receive quite the opposite reaction that I was expecting. His arms were around me, holding me as close and tight as possible, and his lips were hard on mine. Kissing me with passion I never even knew he had. My heart skipped a beat when I ran a hand through his hair and held onto his curls, and he made his own satisfied noise. But too soon, he let go completely and sat up. Confused, I lay there, struggling to catch my breath.

I heard him mutter, "Dammit," under his breath as he turned his head to look anywhere but at me.

I propped myself up on my elbows feeling a bit concerned. Did I do something wrong?

"Cisco?" I called out to get his attention. He kept his distance from me and ran a hand along his face. "Cisco, what is it?" Without thinking, I straddled his waist and it wasn't until I came into contact with what he was so flustered about that I began blushing too.

He bit down on his lip, struggling with his own embarrassment. "You're making this real hard, Leah."

"Making what hard?" I asked before wondering if THAT was what he was talking about. My face flushed even more; that was very forward of him.

"Holding back," when he saw I was still confused, he sighed and blurted out, "This is going to sound so perverted, but I'm struggling not to carry you to my bed and have my way with you right now!" I gasped as his hands found my waist and he rolled his hips against mine. The motion caused us both to give off an airy moan that neither of us were expecting as we stared wide eyed into each other's eyes. "I just… D-don't want to do anything you don't want to do…" His voice was barely above a whisper now, but was dripping with lust and he struggled to keep his voice steady through the ragged breaths he was taking. His eyes were darker than usual and glazed over with a look that I didn't have words for. When I didn't protest, he rolled his hips against mine once more and I squeezed my eyes shut. The noise that left my lips was more desperate than the last. "Leah…"

I didn't give him time to finish. I grabbed his face in my hands and kissed him with as much emotion as I could muster. That kiss kick-started the rest of the events that night.

Time Skip

I woke to the sunlight hitting my face the next morning. It peeked through the crack in the curtain and draped over the bed. I stretched my arms over my head and let out a nice yawn, feeling all my muscles thank me in response. I was slightly disappointed that I was no longer sleeping, considering how comfortable I was; I never felt so warm before and I couldn't remember a time when I slept so well. My hand brushed up against something as I stretched and I couldn't avoid smiling when I turned my head to see Cisco's sleeping face.

He still had a bit of visible sweat along his hairline and his hair was still damp from our repeated efforts the night before. I closed my eyes and could still pinpoint every place on my body that his hands touched and every stinging area on my shoulders where he bit down to keep quiet so the neighbors wouldn't complain. I remembered every breathtaking kiss and every desperate moan. All the sweet nothings that he whispered in my ear. The way he drove me over the edge when he dug his nails into my hips. And how after all that and then some, he lent me his over-sized shirt to sleep in because he couldn't help but admit that seeing me in his clothes was one of his guilty pleasures. I smiled at his peaceful, dreamy face; he was so perfect to me.

He didn't even stir until I pressed a small kiss to his bare shoulder. He opened his eyes with half the effort and I could just barely see him looking at me through his eyelashes. I grinned at the endearing sight when he gave me a sleepy smile.

"Morning, mi princesa," he practically purred, burying his face in my shoulder.

I didn't know much about Spanish, but that one was too obvious. "Princess?"

He removed his head from my shoulder to give me his usual smile and it made my heart leap. "Yep. MY princess."

My stomach growled then, loud enough for him to even notice. He glanced in the direction of my stomach and then back at me before letting out a soft laugh. I laughed along, feeling light and silly. I was blissfully happy.

"Well, as your princess, I want pancakes." I leaned over and placed a kiss to his nose before laying my forehead against his. I could feel his breath on my lips and it caused me to smile. I quickly and quietly added, "Pretty please."

He reached up and ran a thumb along my cheek. I closed my eyes and leaned into the touch of his hand, feeling quite content with the warmth that spread along my veins just from the connection of his skin against mine. It was meant to be like this.

"As you wish," he whispered before pressing a soft, slow kiss to my lips.

 _Quoting Princess Bride at me. Not fair._ I practically whined in my head, but my body said otherwise as I wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pulled him close to me. His lips molded perfectly with mine and his tongue played against my own as we deepened the kiss. However, he pulled away before things could get too heated which resorted in a pouty face from me. He chuckled and gave it a quick kiss to make it go away before heading across the room to the attached kitchen.

"Merry Christmas," he added quickly.

"Merry Christmas."

That's when my cell phone vibrated on the nightstand behind me. I rolled over to pick it up and check the message I received from Caitlin. My eyes went wide and I sat up.

"I forgot!"

Cisco turned to face me, shirtless and with a spoon in his mouth. He tried to ask "forgot what?" but with the object in the way, it came out "fowot haut?"

"Screw the pancakes! It's already three o' clock! We're going to be late!"

Time Skip

Unfortunately, we didn't make it to the part until around five o'clock when the sun was already beginning to droop in the winter weather. When Caitlin opens the door to the cabin that the Stein's rented, I hated the look that she gave us. How does she know things without anyone saying anything?! Maybe she was a metahuman that could read minds and never said anything about it…

But soon, Cisco and I were sat at a table surrounded by friends and family; Ronnie, Caitlin, Barry, Iris, Joe, Mrs. Stein, Professor Stein, Felicity, all laughing and chatting over one another. Mrs. Stein had made plenty of food, but she had also ordered some pizza.

"Martin told me you two love pizza," she explained to Ronnie and I.

I grinned. It was sweet and funny all at the same time. Cisco, however, laughed out loud and obnoxiously until I smacked his arm and he jumped more in surprise than in pain. "Hey!"

I turned to Felicity who sat across the table from me.

"Your friend couldn't make it?" I winked, referring to The Arrow.

To my surprise, she hesitated, obviously trying not to frown, "No… Not today…"

I frowned, not bothering to hide it. "I'm sorry… I hope he can learn to trust us with his identity someday…"

At that moment, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," Felicity quickly announced, getting up before Mrs. Stein could to avoid further discussion of our topic of choice. I sighed and got up to follow her when I felt someone's hand touch my elbow.

I looked down at Ronnie who asked, "Everything alright?"

I nodded, "Yeah," before giving him a playful smack to the head, "Just save me some pizza."

He grinned, teasingly saying, "I can't promise anything."

I followed Felicity out the room then and when she opened the door, I was surprised like her apparently, to see Oliver Queen standing outside the door. The billionaire of Starling City. Holy crap. And he was even more gorgeous in person!

"Oliver!" Felicity squealed before swinging the screen door open and engulfing him in a hug. The connection didn't make sense until she had hugged him. _Ah, Oliver Queen. The Arrow. Got it._ I thought as I kept quiet and looked away.

It wasn't until Oliver cleared his throat that I peered back at the lovebirds. "Oh, Leah, uh…" Felicity hesitated, "This is Oliver Queen."

"Riiiiiiight," I smiled, holding out my hand to him, "Nice to see you again, Oliver."

He made a face, seemingly unpleased. "Cute and intelligent, huh?" I shrugged, taking the compliment for what it was and grinning proudly. "Cisco is a goner."

Felicity giggled next to Oliver and was peering over my shoulder, "Oh, he already is."

I looked over to see Cisco staring; whether at the back of my head or at my ass, I'll never know. But when our eyes met, which they had done plenty of times before, his cheeks slowly turned pink and he gave a self-conscious wave. I giggled and waved back before turning back to Felicity and Oliver.

"Definitely a goner," I agreed, laughing with the two.

Suddenly, Mrs. Stein appeared and Felicity introduced her to Oliver. "This is, uh… My, um…."

"Boyfriend," Oliver replied for her before shaking Mrs. Stein's hand. "Pleasure to meet you. You have a lovely home."

"Why thank you! What a nice man you have, Felicity," Mrs. Stein squealed, taking Oliver by his massive arm and dragging the uncomfortable man into the kitchen.

"Why couldn't he be that nice to me when I first met him?" I teased and Felicity laughed along. "Kiss ass."

With a final fit of giggles, we headed back to the table and sat down with all our friends. Before we made it in earshot of everyone I whispered, "Boyfriend, huh?"

She blushed a pretty pink, "We'll talk about that later."

"Uh-huh," I said before sitting in my seat.

"I invited Bette," Barry was explaining to Caitlin and Ronnie, "But she insisted on not coming."

Caitlin was frowning, "She can't spend Christmas alone…"

"I sent her a Christmas card," Mrs. Stein told us, "There was an invite to come in case she changed her mind."

"Maybe she will," I said, "She still has seven hours till midnight, right? Christmas isn't over till midnight." Everyone nodded and it went silent for a second as we all thought about it.

"What about Dr. Wells?" Cisco asked.

Barry shook his head, "Didn't want to come."

Another wave of silence. Alone for Christmas? Alone because I never met these people. Just Ronnie and I eating dinner and not talking, like in the old days. Too busy wishing our parents were around to enjoy each other's company on such a nice holiday. Ronnie never meeting his soulmate, Caitlin, and never being fully happy. Never getting my dream job with Dr. Wells at STAR Labs and helping rescue a superhero named Barry Allen. Never meeting Cisco. I finally snapped out of the dreadful thought; Christmas wasn't meant for that kind of stuff. "Could someone pass the pizza box?"

"Uh… Yeah, about that…" Ronnie finally spoke up, looking guilty as hell.

Time Skip

It wasn't until seven o' clock when the doorbell rang again. Mrs. Stein made it to the door before anyone else could and she grinned from ear to ear when she opened it. As she let Bette in, she took her coat and was telling her to make herself feel at home.

"Thought you weren't coming," Cisco teased her and it made me tense up for a second.

She shrugged, a slight smile that she tried to hide. "Changed my mind."

"Good, we just pulled out the eggnog," Barry announced, holding up his glass to show her it was filled to the brim with that nasty white drink. I was never a huge fan of eggnog.

She smiled, "I love eggnog."

"Good, because we have plenty of it," Cisco told her as he handed her a cup.

 _Of course she does,_ I thought with a roll of my eyes as I took a sip of my hot chocolate.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned my head to see Caitlin giving me a sympathetic smile. "Don't be jealous," she whispered, leaning in just slightly so no one else can hear, "I mean, you're the one with the bruises, not her." When she saw I was confused, she pointed at the region around my collarbone. I peered down and blushed like mad when I noticed that the hickeys that I had got the night before were showing. As I pulled my shirt up to hide them, Caitlin asked, "Is that why you were late today?"

"Shut up," I mumbled, trying to hide my face in my dark hair. ""I swear, sometimes you're worse than Ronnie." She laughed at that.

"Well I'm happy for you two," she told me earnestly.

I couldn't help but grin. "Thanks, Cait."

"You'll never be cuter than Ronnie and Caitlin, though." I jumped as Felicity jumped into our conversation, sitting on the couch with us. "Sorry, didn't mean to eavesdrop."

"Uh-huh," Cait and I teased together.

"Okay, I did. But I still think Cait and Ronnie are cuter."

"Of course we are," Cait laughed with a flip of her red, curly hair.

"Yeah, alright." I laughed, setting my hot chocolate down on the table. "Whatever makes you happy, I guess."

After Bette came in and made herself comfortable, Mrs. Stein began to pass out presents. I sat on the floor with my back against the couch, next to Cisco. I opened the box to find a quilt she had made for me and I immediately snuggled with it.

"Oh, great, the blanket is going to take my place now," Cisco sighed.

I leaned against him, "Well, it is softer than you."

"Even softer than my hair?" He gasped, playing along. When I nodded, lost in a fit of giggles, he grabbed the edge of the blanket, "Maybe I should steal this then…"

"Or we could share," I suggested, taking the blanket off and throwing it over our laps.

He gave me one of his best grins and kissed the side of my head before opening his gift. It was another quilt. "Oh… Well, here," he threw the second one over us too. "What's mine is yours." I smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Um…" We glanced up at Oliver who sat behind us and tapped Cisco's shoulder. When we both turned to face him, he held out two small boxes, "These are for you two."

"No way!" Cisco was quick to snatch his and tear the paper off it. We both managed to hold them up at the same time and I practically fell over laughing. "So cool!" Cisco exclaimed, holding up his Arrow action figure that matched the one I held to my chest as I tried to breathe through all the laughter. "Who else can say they got an Arrow action figure from Oliver Queen himself?"

"You two are enjoying this more than I expected…" Oliver mumbled.

I sat up then, holding mine up to Cisco's. "So awesome."

"Very odd."

"But they're so cute," Felicity whispered, watching Cisco and I laugh as she laid her head on Oliver's shoulder.

We exchanged a few more gifts, passing around boxes and wrapping paper. The mess of tinsel thrown in somehow and causing a flirting session between Barry and Iris as they tossed it at each other. There were also plenty of stolen kisses as the mistletoe hung above the doorframe between the kitchen and the living room. Cisco even tried dragging me under it, but I just causally pulled him into a nice kiss without it. Wrapping my arms around his neck and planting a soft one on his warm lips. Who needs mistletoe to kiss?

He smiled, his eyes still closed and his hands still on my waist as he pressed his forehead against mine. I giggled when he nuzzled his nose against mine and he grinned. He opened his eyes to look at me, still inches away from my face. I've never felt warmer except when I can feel his touch and his breath linger over me. He just gazed at me and I could feel a blush growing on my cheeks. I closed my eyes to avoid having to see him stare at me.

I heard him chuckle and straight out say, "I love you."

I opened my eyes again, wide this time, as I looked back at him. His eyes mirrored my own and I could tell he hadn't meant to say it. It was his first time telling me and he had just said it as if it was the most normal and obvious thing in the world. I could tell by his expression that it just slipped out and he didn't even expect it himself. He searched my face with his wide eyes for some type of reaction.

My face was definitely red by now. But my heart was flying with happiness.

"Best Christmas ever," I whispered and watched as a grin grew on his face, lighting up all his best features. I opened my mouth again to say those three words back to him because I felt the same way. I had loved him long before and hearing him say it out loud wanted me to share in the honesty. However, we were interrupted.

There was a large orb of light that seeped through the room, causing the dimly lit room to shine bright. It was almost painful and I had to blink to adjust my sight. The sound of a car pulling up to the lawn echoed through the silence and everyone went still. I looked around at the people who stood before me in the living room. Everyone was here except Wells. Had Wells changed his mind and decided to join us? Then we heard several more cars pull up and I felt a sinking feel in my chest. Something wasn't right here.

I kept my hold on Cisco as I watched my brother walk over and peek out the window. He moved the curtain aside just slightly and squinted his bright blue eyes to see the commotion. Who would come all the way out here? We were practically in the middle of nowhere.

I think I knew the answer before Ronnie backed away from the window. I think I knew, I just didn't want to believe it. It was Christmas and I was happy, nothing could ruin this, right?

Wrong.

Ronnie turned to the crowd of concerned looks. "We've got to get out of here. Now."

A cold shiver ran down my spine and Cisco held me closer to his chest as someone's voice rang out. He had to have been using a megaphone to have this voice ring through the building so loudly. Especially since the large wooden door was closed. But that was the only thing separating us from him. A wooden door.

"We know you guys are in there," Eiling called out. "Come out with your hands up and over your head and we won't shot."


	19. Christmas Tragedies

Cisco

My heart went cold at the sound of his voice. How did he get here? How'd he know we were here? I glanced towards Bette who was curled in the corner of the sofa. Of course. They had followed her… Fear was creeping all over me as I searched my brain for a way out of this. _Oh, come on! It's Christmas! This should not be an issue for us right now!_

My hands felt cold and empty as Leah removed herself from my embrace. I watched as she quickly made her way over to Ronnie and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"They're here for you!" Her voice was laced with concern and fear. The sound matched the feeling that settled deep in my stomach. I could've hurled at the moment if I wanted to. "We have to get you out of here, now."

"You guys can go the backway!" Mrs. Stein suggested, pushing Leah and Ronnie towards the backdoor.

"W-wait," Leah reached over and grabbed my arm but I took it back. She looked up at me, her eyes brimming with tears and wide with terror.

"It's okay," I whispered reassuringly, taking her face in my hands. "We'll all be right behind you, okay? Take Ronnie, Bette, Stein, and Barry with you, got it? He wants the metahumans, not us normal people."

"Plastique," she said with a shaky breath.

"What?"

She tried to laugh but it came out much more nervous than she attended. She held onto the hands I had placed on her face as she explained, "Plastique. That's Bette's metahuman name… if you like it. Since she blows things up."

I couldn't stop the laughter. We were in danger and she was taking the time to give metahumans their respectable superhero names. "I love you," I told her. This time I had meant to say it, because I love her more than anything, and the fact that she's so much like me and she just gets me made me realize that.

My heart jumped in my chest as she whispered, "I love you, too."

Not just love; in love. I had told her I love her as a friend before, but this was much more different. I was so in love, it hurt.

"I'm not leaving you," Ronnie growled, holding onto Caitlin tightly.

Caitlin stood on her tip toes to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Go. Watch over your twin, make sure she's safe, too." Ronnie's shoulders stiffened then and I knew he had also been defeated. If Caitlin wasn't his weakness, then it was Leah.

I watched with an aching heart as they headed out the back door. _Please, don't let this be the last time I see her._ As soon as they were out of sight, I led the way out the door. I couldn't see much in front of me with the blinding lights but I held my hands above my head and stepped forward. I was hoping they couldn't see that my hands were trembling in fear. _Please, let Leah get away from here._ As soon as I made it off the front porch and stepped into the snow, I was knocked onto my knees, feeling the freezing powder start to soak my jeans. My breath was visible in the chilly air and my teeth chattered but not only because it was cold.

They shoved Caitlin down beside me and Mrs. Stein on the other side. With our hands above our heads, the lined us all up and held guns up at us. I could hear Mrs. Stein sniffling next to me and it wasn't because her nose was running. That terrified me; these guys would take her fear, chew it, and then spit it back in her face. I couldn't allow that.

With my hands still raised and my vision still blinded, I called out, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! No need for the formal greetings, guys! Come on, its Christmas…" My voice got smaller and shakier as I continued. Dammit.

"Where's Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein." That voice had to have been Eilings. Just the sound of it annoyed me and I had to force myself not to roll my eyes.

"Rude. He is a professor, you know?" I sarcastically pointed out. _Just buy time to let the others get away. I've got this._ "The least you can do is-." I didn't get anything else out before the end of his gun was shoved into the side of my head, hard. I fell over on my side, holding the throbbing area in one of my hands and trying to keep my face out of the freezing snow with the other.

"Oh, God!" I felt Caitlin's hands on my shoulder as if she was trying to shield me with her small body. "Please! Leave him alone, he didn't do anything!"  
"You guys are hiding the men I want!" He bellowed at her and I felt her hands flinch from the fear of it. She gripped tightly to the sleeve of my jean jacket, but I could tell her hands were shaking. I wished it was just because it was cold outside.

I continued on the banter then, trying to buy some time. "Jesus, it's freezing out here and these guys didn't even give us time to put on our coats."

"Cisco," I could hear Joe whispering warnings at me, but I went along with it.

Leah's face was the only thing I could truly see right now. Everything around me was enveloped in a bright white light from all the car's that surrounded us, until it all turned blue and all that was left was this sight of Leah's face. She sat on the couch- my couch to be more specific- and she grinned from ear to ear. Her eyes were lit up like the Christmas tree we had decorated inside the cabin. She was looking right at me and was holding back a giggle behind her teeth. I wanted to ask why she was smiling so much. Why she looked so happy? _Leah, baby, we're in danger. And I'm so scared…_ She continued to grin at me, though.

It was gone in a flash as soon as I felt a hand grab at my collar and lift me back up on my knees. I groaned at the aching in my kneecaps from the snow being far too cold. The old guy then pressed his gun to my chest and my face grew serious.

"Tell me where they are," he growled, leaning close enough that I could see his beady little eyes.

"No need, boss, we managed to get these two," a voice spoke up and we all turned to see whom it was.

The young man with cold eyes, following cold orders wasn't a concern to me. I barely paid him any attention. It was the struggling brunette he held by the hair that made me want to cry. I felt my heart jump up to my throat and try to suffocate me. All I wanted for was for her to be safe; they could've shot me in the head for all I care.

They threw Leah and Professor Stein down in front of us. I bolted upright as they held a gun to my girl's head. It was long before Eiling knocked me on my ass, though. There was a whimper that I was almost too positive was Leah's. I felt Caitlin practically pull me into her lap this time, hanging on for dear life.

"Oh, is this your little girlfriend?" Eiling asked, walking over to Leah, circling her like some damn vulture.

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" The shout ripped through my throat as if it had a mind of its own and didn't even belong to me.

"Pretty little thing, she is," he mumbled, ignoring me all together. He stroked her hair with the tip of his gun and she flinched back with fear. The whole thing made me want to throw up and then beat his ass. He asked the question I was starting to wonder myself, "Where is your twin, huh?" _"Where is Barry when you needed him_ " was more of my question, but same thing, right? "You guys are twins, right? You do look so much like him, Leah."

The fact that he knew her name was frightening, but the gun he held to her head was worse. He could pull that trigger any second and end her life right there. Ruin my life in just a second. I managed to sit up on my bruised knees again and I could feel Caitlin clutch at my jacket.

"Don't do this," she whispered so only I could hear.

But I couldn't let him harm Leah. Not my Leah. No.

"Leave her alone," I spit.

His eyes were on me then, glaring at me under his bushy eyebrows. He lifted his army cap to stare me down, but it didn't scare me. I was too relieved to watch his gun leave Leah's head. Leah sat back on her feet then, relaxing just a tad with the cold machine away from her. I clenched my jaw to keep my courage as the General made his way towards me.

"Someone should teach you not to talk back, boy."

Then I got some "deserving" punches and kicks to the face and ribs from Mr. High And Mighty himself. I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt. His last punch to the face had me spitting blood from my busted lip. The blood stained bright red against the snow. I could just barely hear struggle from the side where Oliver stood, but I heard a grunt and Felicity cry out, and it was quiet again. My ears were ringing from all the pain, but I could just slightly hear the sobbing from Leah. _Don't cry for me, I'm okay,_ I wanted to tell her. But my whole mouth tasted like blood and it made me want to vomit. I was curled into a ball, holding my side and wishing my ribs didn't feel like they were stabbing my insides.

"Please, stop this!" Caitlin cried out, once again at my side.

"Don't do this, you don't have to do this!" Mrs. Stein pleaded.

"This is a waste of time," one of the soldiers sighed. "Just let me finish him off and the others will learn their lesson, then maybe we can leave!" I felt the cold, hard gun press to the back of my head and I closed my eyes.

So, this was it. I'm to be finished on Christmas night. I'm not meant to see New Years. I'm meant to be shot in the back of the head in front of my friends, in front of my Leah. Another flash of blue showed me her face again: this time, we was peering at me through the window of a car. She had tears in her eyes. _No, don't cry for me. Stop crying, Leah._ I was snapped back into reality when I heard the threatening scream.

"GET OFF OF HIM!" I've never heard her shout so loudly or sound so angry.

 _Wrong._ Okay, except the time she told me she hated me when we didn't follow Ronnie, although he needed saving. But this time was different, it was threatening. The anger was clearly evident in her voice and I suppose that's what caused the car closest to us to hiss and then explode. Then after that, it was one after the other, like the domino effect.

The blast closest to us caused us all to fly in the air. Hitting the ice cold ground made all the bones in my body ache, and the ringing in my ears caused a migraine large enough to feel like my skull had cracked open. I tried to keep my eyes open, I tried searching for Leah. However, my head continued to spin until the colors of the world all smeared into the color of black. I felt my head rest against the cold snow and that was all.

 _I'm sorry, Leah._

I'm sorry.


	20. Waking Up Alone

Cisco

 _"Do you think they'll get married someday?"_

 _I was sitting on the couch with Leah, eating ice cream out of the tub with a fork because we ran out of spoons. As I looked over at her, her features and everything around her was colored blue. This wasn't the first time I had seen something like this; I had something like this happen when she was being kidnapped. So, why was I sitting on the couch with her now? And why was SHE eating the mint chocolate chip ice cream and not me? That's my favorite…_

 _I had no control over my mouth, but I heard my voice say, "Who?"_

 _She looked over at me, the fork sticking out of her tub of ice cream and a silly smile on her face. Her blue eyes were shining with such happiness that it just felt wrong. Leah, I had just seen you get kidnapped, why are you smiling? Why are we here? Why are you eating the mint chocolate chip and I'm eating the cookies and cream? This is backwards, girl!_

 _"Iris and Barry?" You mean, the dork who can't even speak straight around pretty, pretty girls and his dream girl? You're joking, right?_

 _"Well, they have been dating for two years," my voice pointed out to the dream Leah. Wait, Barry has been dating Iris for how long? Since when?_

 _She gave one of the sweetest smiles then and I almost forgot about how I had no clue what was going on._

 _"We've been dating for four years."_

 _Four years. What?_

 _Last I checked, it's only been a few weeks, almost a month (not that I'm keeping track…). Did I fall asleep and wake up four years later? I mean, a month can feel like four years when you love someone so much. And what's only a month when you've been attracted and interested in this woman for three years prior to when you started dating? But four years? Did I fall asleep and then wake up years later?_

 _However, when she said it, I did notice the change in her hair length. She had let it grow way past her shoulders this time, and I could tell that from the low ponytail that hung over her shoulder. It was also lighter as if the sun had bleached it. Wait, but it is Christmas… The sun has hardly been out all week. As he looked closer, I also noticed a couple of laugh lines that had found their way on her cheeks. How much time had gone by? Was I dreaming? What?_

 _Nevertheless, no matter how confused and baffled I was, I found myself grinning at her, "I know. Four years and three months."_

 _I could just barely see the calendar hanging on the wall passed her shoulder, though. It marked July. Summer already? Wait… Four years and three months… That can't be right. That would make our anniversary in April. But we started dating in December. It should be four years and eight months. Again, what?_

 _"Okay, switch again," she said and we switched tubs of ice cream. Ah, okay, now it makes sense. Finally, I have my mint chocolate chip ice cream again._

 _However, my dream-self noticed she was staring and had to ask, "What?"_

 _"Do you think we will?" Her face flushed slightly and suddenly, she broke eye contact with me as if it was almost impossible to do. "I mean, maybe not soon, but you know…"_

 _Her words made my heart sped up._

 _I'd love to marry you someday. Grow old with you, learn everything we can about each other. Wake up to your beautiful face every morning and ask myself, "How did I get so lucky?" Fall asleep by your side, but not until I kiss your nose and you make a face in your sleep. Did you know you do that? Make you breakfast in bed on random days, so you never know when I'm going to do it. Watch you sing to yourself as you get ready for work in the morning. Cuddle up on the couch with you as we flip through boring channels on the television. Argue over stupid things like how I left my shoes in the middle of the floor or how you lost the car keys, again. Have nights where I sleep on the couch after we fight and I'm worried that you'll hate me and stop loving me, until I wake up to you squeezing yourself onto the couch next to me and curling up at my side. I'd take care of you. I'd be there for you. I'd love you._

I didn't get to say any of that before I woke up. When my eyes opened, instead of seeing everything in blue like I just was, I saw a couple of bright, white lights. The sight of it burned my eyes until they watered and I had to blink a few times. My head throbbed painfully and I immediately wished I was back to sitting on the couch with Leah and my tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Guess we can't have everything we want.

Because once my head cleared up and I was able to open my eyes and look around STAR Labs from my position on the gurney, I remembered everything that had actually happened. Leah blew up that row of cars as a gun was being held to my head. Is that why my head hurt so much? Did I die? _Heaven oddly looks a lot like STAR Labs…_

"Cisco…" I heard a hushed voice next to me and I turned my dizzy head to see Barry as he walked into the room. He was dressed in his normal everyday clothes and a pained expression. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got hit by a car." My voice was rough from my dry throat. I cleared my throat again and held the side of my head where it hurt the most as I added, "And I actually know how that feels. This pain is pretty similar…" My physical pain matched the one he was wearing on his face, "What happened out there…?"

"She asked me to," if he wasn't holding back tears, I was. His voice cracked before he could finish his sentence, "She asked me to get Ronnie away first, so I took him here as quickly as I could… By time I had brought Bette back, I noticed I was being followed… It was the man in the yellow suit, Cisco. He was taunting me. I forgot all about the cabin and Eiling and I chased him all around Central City, trying to catch him, but… He's FAST. Too fast. And I forgot to grab Leah and the Professor…"

My mind was spinning as I searched the empty room for the blue eyes that I longed for. "So, you found us at the explosion and brought her back, right? Is she alright? Where is she?" Barry shook his head and ran his hands through his hair. I could literally see him shaking, so I repeated in a sharper tone, "Where. Is. She?"

He took a deep breath and let it out with a sigh. "When I got back, the only conscious ones were Mrs Stein, Felicity, and Iris. You, Joe, Oliver, and Iris didn't look to be doing so well… Leah and Professor Stein were nowhere in sight. Oliver and Felicity have been trying to help us look for them while Caitlin tended to everyone's injuries, but…"

"But she's gone…" His heart felt like it had become unattached from his other organs and was just painfully sitting there, being a nuisance to the rest of his body.

"Oliver, Ronnie, and I have been looking for the past twenty four hours, we'll find her. We'll find them both."

All the feels had welled up by then. The tears were stinging my eyes, the anger was flooding through my veins, the guilt weighed heavy on my tongue.

"Hey…. About that time that I told you I rather you on the field than Leah…" I started, but wasn't sure where to end my sentence.

He shook his head and I could vaguely notice the bags under his eyes as he leaned forward in his seat. "No. I get it now… I can't help but feel this is because I had mentioned it, and now she's in trouble, and…"

"Stop. There's no way you could've known this was going to happen. I mean, it was Christmas. We were supposed to be having fun and be happy, and-," God, happy… As a couple tears fell on my cheeks, I knew I was anything but happy right now. "And it wasn't your fault…"

"It was still a stupid idea…" he mumbled.

"I made the suit," I finally admitted out loud, "The one for Leah. I was going to give it to her if she ever decided to join you on the field… She's gifted. Her power is amazing, and it's not up to me if she helps you or not… I was just scared…"

"And you had every right to be."

It was silent for a while after that as I quickly wiped away the tears. I needed to get better. Like now. I need to get to work on helping everyone find Leah and Stein.

"So, what's wrong with me?" I asked, peering down at my body as it was laid out over the gurney. The only thing that really hurt other than my head was my ribs.

Barry sat up a bit straighter then, "Concussion. Bruised ribs, but not broken. Two broken fingers and a second degree burn on your left arm," _ah, that's why it's wrapped and feels numb,_ "Other than that and lack of proper sleep you're okay." _Good._ "Oh, and one other thing…" his hesitation caught my attention, and I looked up at him as he stumbled for the right words, "Caitlin noticed something while she was patching you up and…"

I rolled my eyes, "Oh, come on. What else can you say after telling me my girlfriend has been kidnapped?"

He flinched slightly, but I only had time to feel bad for a split second, before he blurted out, "You've got the metahuman gene. You're a metahuman, Cisco."

Time Skip

"This seems impossible."

I was sitting up on my spot on the gurney as Barry, Caitlin, and Wells were not positioned around me. Caitlin was leaning against a desk on the other side of the room, while Barry and Wells sat close to my bed. They all had THAT look on their face as if they were observing me. But I'm not a science project, I'm just me.

Wells shook his head, "You were there. Just like Leah, just like Ronnie… There's a chance the particle accelerator could've affected you, too."

"Caitlin doesn't have the gene!" I pointed out defensively.

Caitlin shrugged, her red curls bouncing with the motion. "Maybe it missed me?"

"Doesn't matter, Wells sighed, "Tell me, have you experienced ANYTHING weird lately? Even the smallest of things could mean something at this point."

The only weird thing I could think of was the dream. I described it to them, also mentioning the two of Leah that I saw when Eiling had ahold of us; the one where she was smiling, and the one where she was crying. And how it always looks blue when I see these… "Dreams." I had thought they were dreams. Now, I wasn't so sure.

"Four years…" Caitlin repeated.

"Four years…" Barry glanced at Wells, "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

Wells nodded, "He's somehow seeing the future. Moments he'll have with Leah; weeks, months, and apparently, years from now."

"So, that means she's going to be okay!" Caitlin mentioned.

Wells gave a quick nod of his head, and although he seemed to be lost in thought, he agreed, "Yeah. That means she'll be okay."

Barry and I seemed to have sighed in relief.

"She'll be okay." I whispered to myself under my breath.

 _Oh, please be okay._


	21. Team Flash

"You'll need some way to channel it, control it." Dr. Wells stated.

 _Yeah, as if it's that simple._ Another twenty-four hours had passed by with no luck. Caitlin had done her best to try and figure out how my power thingy works, but it was all mostly in the mind. As in, my mind. I was using my mind to see things; future and present. Maybe even past too? Who knows? Point is, we were trying to use it to pinpoint Professor Stein and Leah's location and we were getting nowhere, it was absolutely frustrating.

I sat in my workshop, working long and hard on the pair of glasses in my sweaty hands. They resembled that of sunglasses except their potential was much cooler. If I could actually get it to work! "Build something to harness your powers in," Wells had suggested. Sure, I'd love to. Except this techy stuff was more of Leah's thing! I built the guns and the machines that don't really rely on human interaction; Leah was better at building things that we could use on people, like all the machines we used to test Barry's powers. She even built his little treadmill toy. And yet, I was here and she wasn't. I did some of my best work WITH her. What makes me think I can do this on my own?

Too distracted wondering how she was doing and what they might have done to her, I clenched my jaw in anger and tossed the glasses across the room. This was pointless. I just found out what I could do the day before, this wasn't going to work.

"What'd those glasses ever do to you?" I heard a voice ask from behind me. I turned my office chair around to face Ronnie as I ran my hands over my frustrated features. His expression went from teasing to sympathetic in just a couple of seconds. "We're going to find them."

"Yeah, well, I seem to be the only way to do that and yet, I got nothing," I snapped. I was so tired. Why didn't anyone understand my frustration? It wasn't until he frowned that I realized that I was taking it out on him. I didn't want that. He was suffering just as much, maybe even more. Leah was his twin, my girlfriend. You can't really measure the pain to figure out who is suffering more though, can you? Feeling guilty, I immediately took it back, "Sorry. I don't mean to snap at you."

Ronnie shook his head, taking a seat across from me, sitting on it with his legs on either side of the chair and his elbows rested on the back of the chair. "It's okay, I understand. It's a lot of pressure."

I shook my head. "If this is what it's like to be a hero… I don't want it. I never did. Don't get me wrong, I like helping people, but I like doing the "behind the scenes" stuff like building things that could be useful to Barry. I don't want the pressure of being the only one that can save someone, because what if I can't? What if I can't find them, then what?"

"You will!" He stood up and picked up the glasses that had fallen to the floor. He held them out to me, "You've got this, Cisco."

I sighed and reached for the glasses, accidentally touching his hand as I did.

Suddenly, my surroundings turned blue and Ronnie no longer stood in front of me. I stood in the middle of what looked like a large abandoned warehouse. There were crates of boxes everywhere and as I turned around, there were two figures sitting in chairs. I quickly ran forward to see Professor Stein and Leah tied down by their wrist and ankles to hard, metal chairs. They sat facing each other and as Stein struggled in his restraints, Leah had her head down, chin pressed to her chest. I tried to reach out and lift her head to see if she was still living, but my hand went right through her.

 _Right, I'm not actually here…. This power really sucks right now!_

"Leah!" Stein called out, tugging hard on the metal clasp around his wrist but getting nowhere. "Leah."

"Relax." My heart fluttered at the sound of her voice and I longed to hold her in my arms. She lifted her head and a sudden lump lodged itself into my throat. Her bottom lip was busted open and bleeding, she had one black eye, and blood was dripping from the side of her head. _God, Leah… What are they doing to you?!_ "The others will save us," she spoke right through my invisible self, staring ahead at Professor Stein.

"And if they don't get here in time?"

Suddenly, my surroundings shifted and I was standing outside of the building for just a split second. The number thirty-seven was printed large against the gray stone wall.

"Cisco!" And then I was back in my workroom with Ronnie. I set the glasses on the table and stood up. "Cisco, what happened? What did you see?"

"They're at one of the military bases!" I called out as I headed for the cortex.

When getting there, I moved Wells off the computer, ignoring his complaints.

"Cisco, what is it?" Caitlin asked as her and Barry stepped forward.

"I saw it," I told them as I pulled up the thirty-seventh military base in Central City. "There. Thirty-seven. I saw the number in one of my… Visions."

Barry quickly changed into his suit. Oliver, who was already in his hood, lifted his hood to cover his face. "Alright, let's go."

"I'm coming with you guys." We all turned to Bette who just stepped into the room with Ronnie. "I heard everything. I want in."

"Me too," Ronnie said.

"It could be dangerous," Caitlin pointed out.

Bette smiled and shook her head, "I'M dangerous, remember?"

Ronnie sighed, "She's my sister… And the professor…"

Wells nodded. "Fine. But you guys stick together, alright?"

Barry then turned to me. "So… What's the plan?"


	22. Rescue Mission

Leah

The beginning was much of a blur. I had spent most of that morning being beaten as they asked me questions like "where does Ronnie Raymond live?" or "how did he develop his power?" or even better, "how do we get him to join our side?" But that was just it; Ronnie would never join their side. Even if they threatened to kill me, he wouldn't do it, because he isn't stupid. He'd never let them use him like that.

Not long after a few hits to the face, there was a loud beeping noise that echoed all along the warehouse and then a quick breeze of air rushed past Professor Stein and me. My hair was caught in my face before I could see what happened but then I felt someone brush it aside for me and I was more than thrilled to see The Flash bent down in front of me, grinning.

"Good to see you again," he chuckled.

"Took you forever to get here," I teased.

As he worked on untying my bindings, he gave me an apologetic smile, "Sorry, we got a little caught up… A lot has changed, recently."

I rubbed my wrist once they were free. "I'd love to hear about it. Back at STAR Labs."

That's when the door behind us busted open. "Untie Professor Stein," Barry told me. "I'll be back." And with that, he knocked the others out and then disappeared.

As I released Professor Stein from his chair and helped him up, the alarm quickly went out. Somehow, I just knew that had something to do with Cisco.

"He probably should've done that BEFORE it went off…" Professor Stein mumbled, wiping his glasses off with the hem of his sweater which was covered in dry blood; his and mine.

The long double doors opened again as Bette made her way over to us. "Oh, good, Barry already untied you guys…. Uh…" She was frantically looking around the room, anxiously looking for something. "Well… I'd say let's get out of here, but it's a mess out there…"

"What's going on?" Stein asked.

"Uh… They shot Barry with something and his speed is lacking… Cisco and Ronnie are shooting guns… And I should be out there helping but they told me to get you guys out of here and yet, I'm not sure how to."

"Where is Oliver?" Stein asked.

"Dealing with everything outside. Caitlin and Felicity are on the coms back at the lab."

I nodded, "Relax… Maybe we can sneak around the fight scene and go out the backway? They weren't too smart when they dragged us here without completely knocking us out or blindfolding us and I saw which way they brought us in. We might be able to get out that way."

She looked a little relieved as I told her my idea, "Alright then. We'll follow you."

As we were making our way through the halls of the warehouse, we could hear the popping of gunshots and it made my stomach twist into nervous knots. _Please be okay…._ I thought as I tried not to picture Cisco and Ronnie shooting at trained soldiers. It wasn't too long before we reached the back door, but it felt like it took forever. I was practically holding my breath the whole time until I finally caught hold of the doorknob and swung the metal door open. However, I had to immediately hold my hands up above my head as I became face-to-face with a gun. I could just barely see Eiling giving me a smug smile in the dark.

"All three of ya, turn around and walk back inside. Go on." He ordered.

I was the last to turn and walk inside, trying to fight off the urge to punch him in the face because I'd probably get my face blown off. I could just barely see the form of an unconscious Oliver being dragged into the warehouse behind me before I was shoved forward into the building. When I stepped back inside the humid warehouse, I was horrified to see Bette and Professor Stein both had guns to their head and Cisco, Ronnie, and Barry seemed to be cornered. Barry lay on the ground, clutching his side and I worried about what they might've shot him with. It could be something similar to the wristband they stapled to my wrist so that I wouldn't be able to use my powers and blow up their warehouse generator. Trust me, I had already thought of it. But they were one step ahead of me.

They set Oliver down on the ground and two guards stood next to him and from the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Oliver's arm twitch. Three more guards stood behind us and Eiling stood in the middle of us all. He was smiling victoriously and I had to clench my jaw shut to keep from screaming. I really wanted to smack that smile off his face.

And now, as they stood me in front of the boys and held a gun to my head, all I can do was look at Cisco and my twin with pleading eyes. _Please, don't do anything stupid. Don't try to stop this. We've lost. It's okay, look away._

But even with no ammo and fear on their faces, neither of them were backing away.

"I'll give you three chances to join me," Eiling said to them. "Help us make a better world and I'll let them go. Deny us and I'll put a bullet hole in each head." He cocked then gun before aiming it straight at Bette's forehead. Somehow, she didn't even flinch. This must be normal for her... "So, what do you say?"

All three boys look dumbfounded and alarmed. I couldn't blame them. Be used as an experiment by the military and possibly corrupt the world or watch your friend get shot in the head. Not an easy decision… But if I could buy them time so that they could get out and not have to see us get shot in the head that might make things a little easier. Either way, things were going to go downhill for me, Stein, and Bette. We'd just have to make peace with that.

 _As long as they make it out of here…_ I told myself before throwing my head back and clocking the guy behind me right in the jaw.

I heard him grunt and the sound of his gun falling to the floor before I had really realized what I did. Suddenly adrenaline kicked in and before I knew it, I was kicking the guard that held a gun to Stein's head in the crotch, causing him to also fall over in pain.

"STOP!" Eiling's voice boomed throughout the room and I turned to see that the two guards who carried in The Arrow's body had turned their guns to point at me. "On the ground. Now."

"Don't touch her!" Ronnie moved to jump forward but Eiling had taken the empty gun in his hand and bashed Ronnie's nose with it.

I squealed as Ronnie hit the floor hard, holding onto his nose as the blood seeped through his fingers. "NO, DON'T!" I screamed as Eiling pointed his gun at him. I knew he wasn't going to shot him, he needed him, but I was still scared to see the weapon aimed at him nevertheless.

Cisco ran forward and knelt down next to Ronnie. Helping prop his head up on his knee and blood continued to pour. He was always such a heavy bleeder.

"Then tell him to join me." Eiling said, turning his attention to me.

Now all guns were on me; the guard who was supposed to watch over Stein, the one that was supposed to watch over Bette, the two who were supposed to watch over Oliver, and Eiling. While the other two guards remained on the ground. Good. That's what I wanted. I quickly glanced over at Oliver without anyone noticing and saw his head move.

I glared up at Eiling. "He'll never join you."

Eiling chuckled, a dry one with no humor in it as he pressed the cold, metal gun to my forehead. "Even at the price of his own sister's head?"

"DON'T!" Cisco's voice echoed and then I was thrown back onto the ground by something I couldn't quite explain. It was like that feeling of going to a concert and the music being so loud that you think you can feel it in your chest, except the blast was aimed directly at my head and my feet flew out from underneath me.

I heard a pop and felt the gunshot whiz right past my ear. Someone gasped and fell to the ground next to me. As I laid there, trying to regain composure and shake the dizziness from my sight, I heard another grunt and some shouts before two more bodies hit the ground. Someone called out my name. _Stay awake._ I thought I heard Oliver call for Felicity and ask her where to go. _Don't close your eyes._ I heard footsteps approach and then Barry's voice, though I couldn't tell what he said. I turned my head to find Bette's lifeless body lying in her own pool of blood. Her body was glowing a weird shade of purple. _Keep your eyes open._ My head swam and everything blurred into a bunch of colors. I heard my name again. I felt someone touch my arm.

And then I blacked out.


	23. Here's To The Past

Ronnie

Four days. It had taken her four days before she reopened her eyes. In that time, everyone knew about the explosion at the military base thanks to social media. Bette San Sous was not supposed to get shot that night. None of us knew that her body would react the way it did when she died. With the help of Oliver, we managed to get the injured Barry and unconscious Leah out before the building exploded together. I'm not sure if I'm content with knowing that General Eiling got out as well. I'm not a killer, so I guess I'm glad he didn't die? But after what he did to my sister, when he does die, he can go to hell for all I care.

Cisco, Caitlin, Wells, and I watched him on the flat screen one day. He was using his time to reassure the city that "nothing was going on." He lied to the people by saying that it was merely an experiment gone wrong and everyone had gotten out that day. The two guards who were announced dead and buried the next day died from "other causes."

"He can't get away with that, can he?" Caitlin asked.

"He already has." Wells pointed out, turning off the television.

I spent every hour I could by Leah's side after that. Caitlin said she had a severe concussion from what she could tell and it was only up to time now to see if Leah would wake up or not. I don't remember the last time I ever tried praying or wishing for anything since I met Caitlin and everything just seemed perfect, but I did a lot of both she told me this. My sister had to wake up. She just had to.

I did a lot of thinking during that time. Is this how she felt when I was running around the streets as Firestorm? Did she feel as sick and worried as I do now?

"She'll come back to us," Stein reassured me, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. I couldn't stand the old man at first, but I have to admit, he's kind of grown on me lately.

After Stein left, Cisco came in. They spent the whole night taking shifts and sitting next to me. Barry even came in once. He looked like shit. Whatever they had shot him with had taken his speed and it had taken a toll on him physically and mentally. Caitlin couldn't find anything to suggest that he lost it, though; his molecular state still suggested that his body healed way too quickly than normal. She then suggested that maybe he only THOUGHT he lost it. Cisco called it "the yips." I figured he just felt too guilty about what happened with Bette. He came in and sat with me for two minutes, constantly glancing at Leah and opening his mouth as if he meant to say something, and then he got up and left me to sit with Leah alone.

Cisco came in constantly, though. If he wasn't taking a break to eat or use the restroom, or to even get an hour or two of sleep, then he was in the room with me. And we were silent. I'd look up and we would make eye contact every now and then, just to give each other a hopeful smile and look away. Cisco once told me that Barry was in a coma before he woke with the speed force. He was gone for nine months.

I was praying and wishing she'd wake up sooner. We don't have nine months.

About nine hours later, she did. I was sitting in the room by myself and reading the newspaper, or at least, trying to. My mind was too occupied with my plans for later, for when she wakes up. So, when she said my name, I jumped in surprised.

She gave me an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

I grinned. "You're awake." I don't think I've ever felt so relieved.

She wasn't even awake for ten minutes before asking about the bad news. "Bette?"

There was something in her eyes, though. No tears, but sadness. Something dark swimming in her eyes. Only other time I had seen that look was when our parents passed away. She already knew what I was going to say. She just wanted confirmation.

I nodded, "She didn't make it."

But it wasn't news to her. She must have seen it before she passed out. And she took it like the brave, small solider she always has been. She nodded her head and swallowed down the disappointment.

"And General Eiling?"

I clenched my jaw for a second, feeling the split of fire heat up throughout my veins. Even his name pissed me off.

"Got away with it, with all of it…." I told her, my voice deep and angry but no louder than the clock that ticked away on the wall.

She was looking at me, almost searching me with her eyes. She had a look on her face that I couldn't quite explain. Then, she took me by surprise.

"And us?"  
I closed my eyes and sighed. When I first found out she was a metahuman, I was surprised she wasn't telepathic. She always seemed to know how to read my mind. Or maybe that was just a twin thing.

"I think…" I hesitated. Thinking about Caitlin and the team made this plan seem stupid. Why the hell would I want to leave everything I had here? But that's the thing: I didn't WANT to, but I had to. "I think we should leave. Pack our bags and leave Central City for a while…"

And I held my breath. I was ready for her to explode on me, to be honest. If I didn't want to leave, I knew she wouldn't want to either. She enjoyed being on the team as much as I did and she even had Cisco now. Why would she want to give that up? So, I waited. I waited for her to start screaming and yelling, and maybe even blow up a lightbulb or two. I was expecting her to be mad at me for even suggesting the idea.

But nothing happened. I opened my eyes to find that the lights weren't even blinking like they usually do when she's upset. She had the calmest expression I had ever seen and that's when my theory had been proven. Yeah, she already knew what I was going to suggest.

"Okay," she whispered. "Where are we going?"

So, we sat and whispered to one another like we use to when we were younger and we didn't want mom and dad to find us out of bed. Professor Stein came in at the right moment and when we told him of our plan, he simply nodded in agreement and joined in on coming up with the plan. We came up with ideas for where to go and how we were going to get there. We even thought of changing our names, just in case. Stein left not long after to explain things to his wife.

"How long do you think we'll be gone?" She asked me, struggling to fight back the tears that were threatening to leak.

I thought about Caitlin then and how I wouldn't want to spend the rest of my life with anyone else. If only things were different, then perhaps she and I could've been happy in a small house with a white picketed fence and a few mouths to feed.

I shook my head, "No idea…. Just until this all blows over, you know?"

She nodded her head in agreement as a tear fell down her cheek.

So, I spoke to Caitlin about it that night when Leah fell back to sleep. She sat on the couch with me, on the other side of the room, and we whispered so we wouldn't wake Leah. I told her how we planned to head to Starling City with Oliver and Felicity as soon as Leah is capable of moving around again. We would probably stay there for a few nights and then head to Opal City real early one morning, leaving the names "Leah and Ronnie Raymond" behind us until they're safe to regain again.

And although she cried and cried, she agreed that it was probably best that we leave, for our safety and everyone else's.

"Just promise to come back," she whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Both of you. You have to come back to us."

I didn't hesitate to kiss her then, relishing in the feel of her soft lips on mine. I held her hands tightly and leaned my head against hers as I promised. I promised her that we would be back someday and that I'd marry her. I wanted nothing to be with her. But for now, I had to think of mine and Leah's safety. Caitlin told me Leah should be back on her feet within the week.

 _Looks like I have a week left with you, Central City._ I thought as I held my fiancée in my arms that night and she slept with her head on my shoulder. I peered over at Leah's sleeping form on the hospital bed. _Here's to one more week…_ And then I closed my eyes and let sleep take me away from that room and away from my thoughts of having to leave everything behind.


	24. Here's To The Furture

A/N: Hey, guys. I just wanted to drop by real quick and thank everyone who has been reading this. Unfortunately, this is the LAST chapter of this fic. But hey, it's been quite the journey and hopefully you loved it as much as I have. Again, thank you all and please enjoy!

Btw, this chapter is in Leah's AND Cisco's POV.

Leah

Cisco hated the idea, hated the plan. He never actually said it, but I knew he did. Every time it was mentioned, he'd tense up and space out. Whenever we were packing, he'd go quiet until neither of us were talking. I was afraid the whole ordeal would make us drift apart before I even left, but if anything, we got closer within that last week. I stayed in the hospital bed during News Years, but that didn't stop Cisco and I from sharing our New Year's kiss. The next day, I was on my feet and moving again. Tuesday, we had just started packing. Wednesday, neither Cisco nor I got out of bed once. Every time I tried to get up, his lips were on mine, convincing me to stay put. We whispered "I love you" too many times to count that night, and I held onto him as if something was going to yank me out of bed and away from him forever.

He rested his head on my chest while I played with his hair. "Do you remember when I slept over the first time?" He asked.

"You mean, before I came back to STAR Labs?" He nodded his head, his dark hair brushing slightly against my chin. "Yes."

"Back then…" He hesitated before asking, "Did you ever imagine we'd be here?"

Here, lying in bed and tangled up with one another. In love so much that it hurts.

"At that time? No." I admitted. "What about you?"

He chuckled, "I've always thought you were too good for me, especially back then, before I found out you like me."

I trailed my fingers from his hair to his bare back, rubbing circles on his skin. "I love you."

I could almost hear the smile in his voice, "I love you too."

Thursday night, we got into a huge fight. He was yelling and begging me not to leave. I told him I had to go.

"I won't let you!" He screamed at me. We both had tears streaming down our face.

"I'm not asking your permission! I'm leaving!" And I went into my room and slammed the door shut.

I sobbed for an hour or two on my own before he climbed in next to me. His arms were there to hold me tight, and his words spoke apologies and words of comfort.

"It doesn't even matter," he whispered. "Because I will see you again. I just know I will."

And Friday came way too fast. Everything was packed and ready to go. Oliver and Felicity stopped by to help throw our stuff in the back of a truck. Then the four of us sat down to have drinks. Felicity and I shared a bit of wine while the boys had beers.

"I think you'll like Starling City," Felicity reassured me.

"I heard it has a hunky vigilante going around and saving people," I teased, sending Oliver a playful wink.

We all chuckled as Oliver nodded his head, "I heard the ladies think he's VERY handsome."

Felicity jutted her bottom lip slightly in a fake pout, "I thought this "vigilante" already had a woman?"

He grinned at her and kissed her forehead, "He does. And he loves her very much."

I smiled at the two but my heart also ached for them. I prayed that they would never have to be separated from one another. I felt Cisco take my hand and hold it under the table.

Cisco

I didn't let go of her hand once as Oliver drove us to STAR Labs. We met up with Ronnie and the others in front of the building as Ronnie transferred his stuff from his car to Oliver's. Leah let go of my hand to exchange hugs with everyone while we waited. My hand… My entire being already felt empty.

She hugged Caitlin last before turning back to me. I saw Ronnie passing out hugs and saying his goodbyes as she walked towards me. She took my hand and rested her head on my shoulder. I watched Felicity and Oliver join in on the hugs as I breathed her in.

Then she whispered, "I need you to tell me we'll see each other again…"

I knew what she wanted without having to ask her. She didn't want a promise, something that could easily be a lie. She wanted a definite answer. And I was the only one that could give that to her.

I placed my lips on hers and watched her close her eyes at the feeling before the whole world went blue. Seeing what I wanted to see had gotten easier the past few days.

 _The first thing I saw was Leah in a blue summer dress; she had cut her hair shorter and her skin had gotten some more sun while she was gone. She smiled up at me and I thought I felt my heart skip a beat just slightly. Eight months. My mind told me I hadn't seen her in eight months. And now, he she stood in front of me with the most beautiful smile I had ever seen._

 _"It's been a long time," she pointed out. "I've missed you."_

 _I couldn't even form words to tell her how much I had missed her._

And I considered leaving it at that. I had seen what I needed to, but somehow, it wasn't enough. I wanted to know more. So, I wrapped my arms around her waist and held her closer and I peered further into our future.

 _All she wore was my shirt as she sat atop of my kitchen counter. I was busy making something with the frying pan and she was laughing that melodic laugh of hers as I danced around. She always laughed at my dancing. That's okay, I love her laugh._

 _Then the scene changed again and we stood in front of a gravestone. I couldn't see whose name was engraved on the stone, but Leah didn't look happy one bit._

 _"I can't believe he's actually gone," she cried. And I hated how I couldn't take her pain. All I could do was hold her._

 _Then I was no longer standing in the graveyard, I stood in a large building with Iris next to me. Except she was dressed in some odd suit with a police badge pinned to her chest. I thought she was a journalist…. And then I looked up to see someone who almost looked like Leah, almost. Except her long brown hair reached her hips and her costume was way too revealing, Leah would never be comfortable with that._

 _"Who are you?" I questioned, feeling intrigued and frightened all at once. But I had left Leah back at our world… Who was she?_

 _She gave me a seductive grin and I wasn't sure if I wanted to stay or run away. "Hi, Cisco. It's nice to finally meet you. Reverb here has told me all about you."_

 _I then saw a flash of blood and heard someone scream. It sent a terrifying chill down my spine._

 _I felt other worries after that, ones I couldn't quite explain: What had Barry done? Where was Leah? Would she remember me?_

 _Before I could ask any more questions, time seemed to jump much further ahead. I could count four or five gray hairs on my head, although Leah had been kind enough to dye my hair the week before. And now I watched as she skipped around the park barefooted with a young, dark haired girl at her heels. The young girl turned her head towards me and her eyes were no doubt Leah's bright blue ones. She gave me a flashing grin and threw her head back to laugh as Leah picked her up and swung her up in the air._

 _When her feet touched the ground again, the girl looked at me and said, "Papa, ven y únete a nosotros!" ("Come and join us!")_

And then I pulled myself back into reality. I felt the tear slide down my cheek before I even realized what it was.

"Cisco?" Leah's voice was laced with worry and her eyes began to water just a little with fear. But I don't think I have ever thought her as beautiful as I did then.

"I almost forgot something," I told her after wiping the tear away. I reached behind me to pick up the gift and I handed her the small tub.

Confused, she let go of my hand and set the tub down on the ground. Forgetting her previous question for just a minute, she opened the lid and peered inside, "Is…. Is this..?"

"A costume, for you," I nodded. "I've been working on it for a while, in case you ever want to use it. Who knows, maybe you'll help The Arrow out, huh?"

She looked surprised one moment and then was giggling the next. Oliver walked up behind her and peered inside. "Hey, it is green…."

"Techna."

They both looked at me with eyebrows raised high. "What?"

"Her metahuman name," I explained. "I thought you might want one to go with the costume…"

Oliver smiled. "Well, come on, Techna." We both watched him and Felicity climb into the truck. Ronnie gave Caitlin one last kiss before following right behind them.

Leah looked back at me with her blue eyes and I could see the remaining question hanging there. It was in her eyes, on her forced smile, floating around in the air.

She had asked me if we would ever see each other again. And although I didn't understand everything I saw, I knew we would.

We would definitely see each other again someday and then I'd never let her go.


End file.
